Keeping the Faith Series
by ShadowRunner
Summary: Nothing is ever easy for Goliath and Elisa but what if the impossible became possible? *Chapter 5 Now up*
1. Jump

Thanks to all for the feedback from my first story! J I thought I'd try it again. Let me know what you think and if I'm on the right track. Feedback is so kewl! 

[Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com][1]

DISCLAIMER: Once again they aren't mine so please don't sue me, I'll return them in the same condition I found them.

This takes place four days after the events of the Hunter's Moon as Elisa finds herself in a situation that makes her question herself as well as her relationship with Goliath. Told from Goliath's point of view but truth be known it's Elisa story.

***** ***** *****

I hadn't intended to leave the castle. We all agreed it best to remain indoors until clearer heads prevail. Unrest hangs over the city and the inhabitants of Manhattan are on edge. 

We have learned this lesson the hard way. Lexington has been monitoring the police frequencies and the sheer number of people who claim to have seen us is staggering considering we haven't left Wyvern since our return four days ago.

Tonight I overheard Elisa requesting back up.

We have all heard such calls before and for the past few days I have refrained from going to her. Tonight I changed my mind, although I doubt she will be pleased with me for responding to her call for assistance.

From the rooftop of a near by house, I can see clearly see what is going on. Elisa and her partner, Matt Bluestone, are standing on the grass in front of a home with weapons drawn. 

A man stands a few yards away from them. He has a gun and is threatening to kill his wife. He holds her in front of his body like a shield and the sight sickens me but I am helpless to do anything about it. 

If I am seen it will only lead to further problems since Elisa, Matt, and Xanatos are doing their best to convince the city we do not exist. 

The area is nearly surrounded by patrol cars from the New York Police Department and several officers are moving into position, waiting for the tension to break or for all hell to break loose.

Elisa is asking the man to drop the weapon so no one will get hurt but he refuses. He claims his wife wants to leave him and he will not allow that to happen. I can hear the tension in her voice as she tells him this is not the way to solve anything. I try to focus on the situation but it is not the man who concerns me, but Elisa, as I fear for her safety.

She says something I cannot make out but I can see a change come over the man's face. He releases the woman and she runs to the safety of a near by officer. 

But he still holds the weapon and his attention is now locked on Elisa.

Matt moves closer and the movement pulls the man's focus over to him. The man shifts the weapon around and even from here I can see his finger flex in the trigger. Elisa must have seen it as well and yells out to her partner.

"Matt! No!"

Risk or not I cannot allow this to happen. I am about to leap from the rooftop as Elisa fires. Her aim is true and the man drops to the ground but so does Bluestone. She rushes to him as the other officers move in.

Only now does she look up and see me as I slip back into the shadows.

***** ***** *****

The others are inside watching the television unaware of the night's events. Dawn is several hours away so I stand alone, looking out over the city. 

I hear movement from behind me and turn to see Elisa walking out of the Great Hall. Instead of moving to me, she leans against the walls of the castle and slowly sits with her arms draped over her knees and head hanging down. "Matt's going to be OK… The bullet went through his vest but he'll live."

I am hesitant to ask but I can see there is more, "And the other man?"

When she looks up I can see the tears bright in her eyes, "He died… about the time Matt went into surgery…"

She pulls her eyes from mine, " It was like waking up from a bad dream and finding myself in a worse one…He said it was because he loved her… he loved her too much to let her go…" 

I fear she now sees love through the eyes of a man who did not understand what it means to be committed to another. I can see the hurt in her eyes so I say the only words I know to be true, "Then he did not understand what it is to love…"

I can see the words only make her hurt worse, and I wonder if she understands the depths of my devotion to her. No matter what, I will always there for her, loving her, waiting for the day when she can truly be with me. 

"I killed him," she whispers, "I killed him because he loved his wife too damn much."

I stand before her not sure what to say as the memories from tonight night flood over me. Even from this distance I can feel the uneasiness surrounding her. I know in my hearts she wants to be closer but she is fighting the emotions and I have to wonder if the damage has already been done.

I move to her, if only to hold her and assure her things will be all right. I reach down to her, "Tonight was not your doing. Do not take the responsibility on yourself."

She is silent, making no effort to reach back to me.

"Why…" she says softly. "Why do you even care about me?" 

She collapses to her side, curling into a ball, her body shaking with the force of her tears, her chest heaves in an effort to bring air into her lungs. "I never encouraged it, I didn't even think I wanted it, but what I don't understand is why I feel like I can't live with out it…" she beats the hard stone floor beneath her, "What did I do to deserve you?!?!" 

She lays there, allowing her body to be wracked by the uncontrollable sobs, crying out for the unfairness of it all. Slowly the tears cease and I can see she is emotionally and physically exhausted. Cautiously she rises from the ground and stands, still refusing to make eye contact. 

Not since the night her brother was transformed by Xanatos has she broken down in front of me in such a way.

I reach out to her again but she jerks away from me and starts walking to the door, only to freeze and suddenly turn back towards me, "Damn you!" she yells out.

Uncertain as to how to react and not sure how she will respond, I place my hands on her shoulders and pull her to me, "My love…"

She shrieks and pushes me back. For someone so small, she has a considerable amount of strength and I step back in pure reflex. I have rarely seen such rage and anger in her, and certainly never directed at me. I now know this is not only about tonight, but our relationship as well. 

She is trying to push me away, not for the moment, but forever. 

"Who the hell do you think you are!" she demands, "Where the hell do you get off loving me!" 

She shoves me back again, her voice already hoarse, sounding off pitch and shrill. "What right did you have to come into my life? I don't need this and I don't need you!" 

I take a deep breath before speaking to her, "But I need you… please don't do this to me… to us."

The tears are streaming down her face again as she sinks to her knees in front of me, "Can't you see this is killing me…" it was barely audible, but I hear her words and it almost breaks my hearts. 

When she looks back up at me I see the storm of emotions has passed but not the uncertainty, so I motion her to the edge of the castle and lift her to the ledge careful to insure she doesn't fall over. She is still very quiet and it is sometime before she speaks to me again.

"Tonight was… pretty bad… I almost didn't come over here." she takes a deep breath and shudders, "I can't count the number of times I've been forced to pull my weapon in the line of duty but tonight was the first time someone died because of it and it got me thinking about a lot of things… Mostly about the other night…"

She lowers her head still speaking softly, "I remember reading once about how we can't live our lives brooding over what could have been, but to be happy living with what is." 

She finally brings her gaze back to me, "I want to be able to do that, but first I have to know if we can handle this. That if the worst happens and a relationship between us doesn't work out, that we can handle the fallout." 

She allows me to see her fear and concern which surprises me. Never before has she bared herself to me in this way, so I say nothing until I'm certain she has said all she wishes to say.

"Goliath, if things work out between us, we are going to have a huge problem, and if it doesn't, we are still going to have a huge problem. My question is, can we deal with that? Being this close if things don't work out?" 

I feel my hearts racing as she finishes speaking. There are so many things I want to say to her, but at the moment they escape me. I gently reach up a brush her hair from her tear-streaked face and smile at her.

She leans in so that her head rests against mine, "There can be no turning back and we can't do this half way… If we do this, we do it one hundred percent." She pulls back from me and leans back to stare at the stars above us. She chews on her lip then faces me again, "I guess what I'm asking is if I jump, will you?"

"Elisa, if you jump, you take me with you…"

She leans forward to place a hand against my cheek, "Big Guy, you are my best friend, and I don't know what I'd do if I screwed that up."

I take her hands in mine and bring them to my lips gently, "Then we will take this slow…" 

She smiles at me for the first time tonight and my hearts soar. I feared tonight might have been the end for us before we even had the opportunity to begin. To see the magic come back into her eyes fills me with such joy that I can barely contain my own happiness. 

For us to have finally reached this point after so many events have fought to tear us apart strengthens my resolve to do what ever it takes to keep this woman in my life. 

I press my lips against her forehead, "I love you." 

She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me to her, "I love you too Goliath," she whispers. 

I pull back from the embrace and trace my talons over her face. Gradually, I cup her face in my hands and bring her closer. I breathe in her sent and find myself slipping, slipping into a world of new possibilities. A shudder tingles through me as I cautiously bring my lips to hers.

This is much different from the first kiss we shared a few nights ago. It is unhurried and soft with no danger of me turning to stone at the last minute. I linger at her lips and suddenly feel her pull me tighter. The passion builds as we continue and I have to force myself to break the contact, as I'm no longer sure I can stop myself from going any further.

"So much for not rushing things," I mumble against her hair. 

"Hmm, well you said jump, so I jumped," she shivers against me. 

I chuckle softly, "Remind me to say that more often." 

"Don't worry," she replies shyly, "I will." 

"Why does that worry me?" I tease her casually, as this is a side of her I see all to infrequently. She grins as I pull her into my arms, lifting her from the ledge and holding her tightly. 

"I don't know," she replies as I set her down on her feet, "but if you like I can always leave." She turns and moves toward the Great Hall, as if to depart. 

"I don't think so," I grab her arm tugged her back and wrapping my wings about her, keeping her safe from the outside world. 

"Give me one good reason to stay," she says softly. 

I pull her tighter, "I will give you a lifetime of reasons, Elisa."

   [1]: mailto:Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com



	2. A Darker Side of Light

A Darker Side of Light

[Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com][1]

I took a bit of a different route on this one, and it's a bit darker than some of my other stuff although it didn't start out that way. In the end I think it worked out. Let me know what you think.

Just so no one gets the wrong idea, they still don't belong to me and I still ain't making a dime off this.

Takes place after the Hunter's Moon (but once again no Goliath Chronicles).

***** ***** *****

He scanned over the screen waiting for the secure server to come online. After a few minutes the computer signaled the line had been encrypted and it was safe to receive messages. He had responded to the request two days ago and had no way of tracing the message back to its source for the moment. The nature of the message bothered him slightly, but it was an offer he couldn't afford to pass on… provided it was legitimate. 

Right now it looked like another hoax. He was about to log off the system when the computer chirped indicating an incoming message.

Cautiously he scanned the communication, looking for viruses, tapeworms, tracers, and other forms of malicious logic but found none. He downloaded the message and smiled. He moved the cursor to the reply icon and clicked, typed out his response, hit send, and waited. 

Four minutes later he received a conformation message from a Swiss Bank for a deposit of $100,000 and three minutes later a second anonymous email message came up.

__

The balance will be paid upon delivery. Immediate contact upon completion. No exceptions.

He gazed at the message for a few minutes. It was a risk to even accept the offer but it served his purpose and since he could now get paid for it, well, more the better. He smiled to himself, "Not to worry, this is a job I shall enjoy taking… as soon as I find out who you are…" 

He logged into the dummy Swiss bank account and began transferring the money to a second account in the Cayman Islands. 

***** ***** *****

He sat in the car gazing out the window absently as people moved across the street. He wasn't looking forward to this inconvenience but it was one he could no long afford to put off. He wanted to find the person responsible for posting the message. 

So far he'd traced it back through six different countries, twelve states, and four separate Internet providers only to confirm his earlier suspicions that it had originated right there in Manhattan. He was about to turn on the remote transmitter when he noticed the crowds breaking so that traffic could again move down the street. 

He nearly crashed into the car in front of him when he saw her in the crowd. It was just a glimpse, but it had been more than enough. He had discovered early on, it paid to be able to recognize a person after having seen them only briefly. Not just by face, but also by walk and movement. He knew by experience that a face could be disguised; a way of walking, hardly ever. 

That was how he recognized her. No one else had that walk, so full of arrogance and smugness.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well I'll be damned…" 

His view was once again obstructed as the area was completely blanketed with people. None the less, he had seen her right away and knew there was no doubt she would eventually recognize him as well… provided she even saw him and there was no way he'd still be sitting there if she had seen him.

Of course, there was no reason for her to suspect that he would be here at all. 

As far as she knew he didn't even exist anymore. 

He watched as she moved through the mass of people on the street until she finally disappeared. 

Perhaps the message could wait for a day or two…

***** ***** *****

It was almost too easy and it worried him for a moment, but then, as he realized before, she still had no idea. She had just stepped outside the precinct, and she was alone, which was perfect. Let her partner think she had been waylaid by some nightcrawler. 

The junky next to him started to move in, but he stopped him with a gesture. He needed someone to carry her back to the building, someone that would forget by tomorrow what had been done tonight and someone completely unconnected to him. He had found what he needed with this man who was about two steps away from the walking dead. 

The man beside him might have been somebody's son but now he was virtually an empty shell, lost to the living hell of addiction. An offer of a quick fix was the only enticement needed to acquire his assistance. 

She gave a cursory look around before moving to her car. Moving quickly, he took aim and fired. 

He smiled when she crumpled without a sound as the tranquilizer dart hit her in the back.

***** ***** *****

Feeling quite pleased with himself, he made a brief check on his prisoner, now awake and glaring balefully at him. She made no effort to speak with him as he checked her bindings, and it was just as well. He had nothing to say to her anyway. 

No one had the faintest idea that he was responsible for the disappearance of Elisa Maza.

***** ***** *****

The bar was nearly filled with the beginnings of the evening crowd, but he finally found a table in the back. The lighting was poor, but suited his needs. Here he was in one of the most visible spots in all of Manhattan and no one was the wiser. He'd become more confidant with his new appearance since seeing Maza on the street that night, and was fairly certain he would not be recognized by anyone. If the authorities didn't recognize him, the riffraff in this place weren't going to either.

He discreetly checked his microlink computer. The small device still working through an extensive amount code, still searching out the source. He could have easily sent a message confirming that he had the detective but he wanted to know whom he was dealing with well before he contacted them again. He had to be getting close and once he discovered who sent the message he would be in a better position to… renegotiate.

He had no qualms about defaulting on his end of the bargain since he had the feeling the other party involved had no intention of keeping their end of the deal either. 

It was only a matter of time before he would be expected to turn her over. But the truth of the matter was, he never had any intention of turning her over to the unknown requester. He planned to use her to lure the beasts to him. 

And the word was out… Detective Maza was missing.

Unfortunately, it was beginning to look like he might have to kill the woman before he discovered the true identity of the requester or able to obtain his ultimate goal. He thought it odd that the beasts were making no effort to find her and there had been no sign of them what so ever.

He had been following her partner in hopes he might lead him to the beasts. So far the surveillance had been fruitless, as it seemed Matt Bluestone was not going to lead him where he wanted to go. Either the man had no idea where the beasts were or he was running this investigation by the book. 

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost failed to notice the man enter the lounge area and stand near the entrance for a moment. The man paused to allow his eyes to adjust to the dimness, then began to search the tables. 

Preoccupied or not, his survival instinct kicked in, and he had a feeling that he was the object of the newcomer's search. He glanced over at Bluestone for a moment. The detective was in the process of roughing up a couple of lowlifes at the other end of the lounge. 

He turned his attention back over to the newcomer and made a covert movement at his table, designed to catch the man's eye. His instincts were upheld when the man moved in his direction. 

"May I sit down?" 

He inclined his head, as the man sat down, "I'm surprised to see you here…"

There was a momentary silence until the visitor smiled slightly, "And I could say the same for you… Hunter."

"I'd thank you not to use that name…" Jon Canmore forced down his temper and allowed his eyes to fall over the room, several officers were assisting Bluestone in hauling up the dregs and dragging them out of the bar. The whole scene was surreal and it was almost painfully obvious this was now a matter of rounding up the usual suspects, "I thought Bluestone would have picked you up already…"

David Xanatos leaned forward, "He stopped by shortly after the story broke. My lawyers assured him I had nothing to do with the disappearance of Detective Maza." He paused for a moment when a waitress stopped by to take his order bet waived her off and turned his attention back to Jon, "Though I can't say I'm not delighted she's… missing. The woman has been a thorn in my side for some time now and I'm rather enjoying her… absence." 

The Hunter hid the expression on his face, but was hard pressed not to laugh. He had no doubt Xanatos was fishing for information, but he was a bit concerned in the fact that he had found him. He pondered the idea that it may well have been him who had sent the anonymous message. If he was, now would been the best time to work a new deal. With Bluestone present, Xanatos would be more inclined to deal as to not draw attention to himself.

"Yes… I'm sure you are…" he replied neutrally.

"I'd like to make sure the situation stays the way it is…"

Jon Canmore leaned back in his chair, "And what makes you think I know anything about this… situation?"

Xanatos smiled thinly, "Let's not be coy… If you aren't the one responsible then you must know who is…"

Jon pondered the statement for a moment and decided Xanatos clearly was not the sender. If he had been, he never would have bother coming here to play this little game. Since that appeared to be the case, he saw no reason not to play the two ends against each other and increase the profits a bit, "Perhaps… but there will be a fee for my … services." 

"Of course." the man replied calmly. "Will three hundred thousand be sufficient?" 

A hefty amount, especially when no work was involved on his part. Jon surpressed a grin. Xanatos had sealed his own fate, in making the deal, he added himself to the risk. The billionaire business man had taken a contract out on a law enforcement officer's life… granted one who was already kidnapped, but the courts would not be inclined to split hairs, of that the Hunter was certain. 

He nodded Xanatos, "Fine. I'll do what I can. However, I will require payment now, and I offer no guarantees." 

"It's settled then." Xanatos turned to nod at a blond man who had walked up behind him. He set a briefcase on the table between the two men and Xanatos turned a few numbers on the lock. He spun the case towards the Hunter. Inside the case were stacks of money in various demotions. "Feel free to count it…"

Jon shook his head slightly, "That wont be necessary…"

"Trust is a wonderful thing...." He placed a small piece of paper next to the case and stood up, "You can contact me there when the job is finished." he said, and left the bar quickly. 

The Hunter noticed Bluestone watching Xanatos and his companion leave. The detective tapped one of the other officers and then turned sharply to follow the pair, with a satisfied expression on his face. 

He finally gave in to his laughter, fingering the case lightly. It was better than he would have thought possible. Bluestone did think Xanatos was responsible for the disappearance of his partner. Perhaps in a few days he would drop the detective a note just to confirm his suspicions.

***** ***** *****

"I really don't understand why you don't see the humor in all this. Here I am holding you prisoner, and your old nemesis hires me to kill you. Another one of life's little ironies, wouldn't you say?" 

Elisa was still tied to the chair, and did not reply. Instead, she watched him for a moment, a strange, unreadable expression on her face. "You could care less," she said finally, "about what happens to me, couldn't you?"

"Are you asking generally or specifically?" 

"You tell me, you're the one holding all the cards right now." 

He shrugged. "Then 'no' to both. You mean absolutely nothing to me, except as a means to an end." 

"They never did anything to you... it's not in their nature. All they want to do is live in peace…" Her voice faltered momentarily as her voice stiffened. "I'm wasting my time, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are… but I imagine you knew that all along didn't you?" She turned away from him and remained silent. He walked closer and turned her face back to his. "And you are wrong, they did do something to me…"

She jerked away from his touch but held his gaze, and he smiled a humorless grin, "You're loyalties so are misplaced… I thought you would have figured it by now… their kind are not capable or worthy of such… loyalty."

The look she gave him was something he didn't expect and he had the distinct feeling that she was… laughing at him. 

Something began to stir in the back of his mind and he suddenly found himself wondering if he hadn't made a serious mistake in going after her instead of hunting the beasts directly. 

***** ***** *****

Jon Canmore looked out over the city, darkness had fallen as a freak storm front had seized the city. The power had gone out a few hours ago and it didn't appear the city workers weren't going to get it back up any time soon. He'd seen several of the power companies trucks go by in a vain effort to get power restored. 

The only light in the room came from the few windows and the computer and the security monitors, which were hooked to their own power source. The search he'd conducted was complete and he now knew who had sent the original message requesting to have Elisa Maza 'dealt with'.

The message came from Nightstone Unlimited.

He never expected it but looking back he understood he should have. Elisa Maza was wrong to think the beasts were anything but just that… beasts. She'd spoken of their loyalties and dedication, but he believed she was now beginning to understand for all their implied loyalties, they had been just that. 

Implied. 

He turned to speak in the dim light, "It would seem I was correct before. You're loyalties were misplaced. I don't believe your 'friends' are going to come after you at all."

The look on her face when he told her they had taken out the initial contract on her was priceless. Not only did Xanatos want her dead but the beasts did as well and they all came to him to carry out the task although he doubted the beasts realized it was he who accepted the offer. 

Elisa was still secured in her chair and had said nothing to him since their conversation the previous night. He had been getting strange vibes from the woman for several hours. It was as if her own silence had been somehow heightened by the storm. 

He was about to speak again when he heard a banging coming from the building door, "Who's there?" he called out.

The voice was muffled coming from the other side, "Power Company. We need to come in and check the breakers…"

"It's really not a good time." He replied slowly.

"Well, we can come back later but it might mean we don't get the power back on until tomorrow …" The voice paused, "Makes no difference to us if want to sit in the dark all night..." 

Ever cautious, the Hunter looked over at the security camera monitor. Two workmen stood outside, loaded down with repair equipment. He hesitated, then made his decision. He pulled a pistol from a desk drawer and moved behind Elisa to untie her. 

"Try anything and you'll force me to kill them." he was relatively certain her convictions, which held her to uphold the law, would keep her from jeopardizing innocent lives. 

She said nothing, but nodded in agreement as she watched him tuck a pistol into his coat. The Hunter unlocked the door and stepped back casually. As soon as the door opened, the two workmen came in with their heads down and headed for a near by circuit box. 

Jon turned to Elisa, watching for any suspicious moves on her part and keeping one hand near the grip of the weapon hidden in the folds of his clothing. Once he was satisfied she wasn't going to do anything stupid he focused back on the newcomers. 

When he turned back to the electricians, he found himself staring down the muzzle of a 9-mm pistol. 

Matt Bluestone smiled at him, "Hi, Jon… Long time no see…"

The Hunter lunged at the man and was surprised to find himself suspended in mid air. When he looked around he realized he was being held up by the back of his coat by one of the creatures that had hired him. The large lavender gargoyle grumbled at him menacingly, "I think not…"

The Hunter reacted faster than the gargoyle anticipated and brought his concealed pistol around to fire at Elisa when the other "workman" grabbed his arm and pulled the gun from his grasp.

"I'll take that… I doubt you'll be needed it any more tonight…" Brooklyn replied softly. He'd shed the overalls and hardhat, which had help to conceal his true nature and finally allowed his wings to uncap from his body, "Man am I glad to be out of that thing…"

Matt called out, and two more shadows rushed in, followed by a second man. He entered the room and shook the rain from his coat and broke into a smile when he saw Elisa. 

"Is everything all right Detective?" 

"I've been better, Xanatos." she replied tersely. She nearly stumbled as she stood up and Broadway moved over to help her up. Her legs felt like they had been anesthetized from sitting for so long and her wrists ached from the restraints, "What took you guys so long? I thought my butt was going to go fall asleep from sitting there for so long…"

Lexington smiled at her as he moved across the room, "Sorry 'bout that… 'Someone' wanted to stop to get a bite to eat on the way over…"

Broadway glared over at his rookery brother, "I did not!" he turned and gave Elisa a sheepish grin, "I ate before we left…"

Elisa smiled at the turquoise gargoyle as she rubbed her wrists in an effort to restore the circulation, "Yeah, I bet you did…" she then turned to face the only one in he room she was even concerned about, "Hey Big Guy…"

Goliath tossed the ill-fated Hunter into the chair where Elisa had been held. He then moved to her and brought her into his embrace, the relief that she was indeed safe evident in his face. Elisa hugged him tightly as the others watched on in silence.

She finally eased away from him and turned to face her former captor and eyed him impassively. "I'm surprised, didn't it ever occur to you this was a bit too easy?"

After a moment, Jon Canmore found his voice, the accent he'd fought so hard to surpress coming out in the faintest of tones, "Why don't you just arrest me and be done with it?" 

"I wanted to when I heard what you were up to, but I didn't have anything concrete to go on. In fact, I wasn't even sure who I was looking for. The surgery must have set you back a bit…" Elisa ran her hands through her hair, "Besides, nothing the courts could do to you would equal what Demona will do when she finds you…"

Elisa gave him a strange smile, "It bugs me to have to work this way but it's still justice in a way..." 

Her anger finally surfaced as her hands curled into fists and moved to him menacingly, "And you deserve whatever happens. For all the lives you've so casually and carelessly endangered." She glanced over to where Goliath now stood with the others on the other side of the room and whispered, "And for them…" 

Xanatos walked over, temporarily interrupting the rather one sided conversation, "Like I told you before, Detective, revenge is the best way…" 

He tipped an imaginary hat at the Hunter as he retrieved the small transmitter from the interior of the case he'd given him the previous night, "It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr. Canmore. I believe this may the best investment I've ever made."

Matt walked over and gave Elisa a rough hug, "Good to see ya… I was starting to get worried." he gave the Hunter a powerful glare before looking back at his partner, "You can fill me in on the details later. Right now we need to get out of here and let Angela and Hudson know everything is fine."

She gave him a inquisitive look, "Where are they?"

"The power station. Goliath thought it best for Angela to wait there in case Demona was…" Matt paused for a moment and rethought his words, "We didn't want the electricity coming back up until we were ready."

Elisa nodded, "How much time do we have?" 

Matt checked his watch in the dim light, "I'd say less than an hour…" He gave her a rueful grin as he looked up, "We'd better get going before she shows up."

Elisa nodded absently and started to respond, but instead looked away, a cloud passing over her eyes as she did. Once Xanatos and Matt were gone she focused back to the Hunter.

He met her blazing eyes briefly. Revenge, he thought grimly… he never would have expected it, at least not from her, "Why would the Beast be coming here? She has no idea where to find me…" he asked at last. 

"When she gets here, and she will soon, and finds out you had me and didn't contact her right away... well, you can't strive to be the Master of the Universe without becoming suspicious of everyone and Demona tends to believe the worst where humans are involved." 

"You're crazy! She never knew I had you..." he stopped abruptly as the realization struck. "Unless someone told her…" 

Elisa nodded, giving him a wicked smile, "You catch on quick. See, you sent one to Demona about my capture and requesting payment in full… then you sent one to Xanatos telling him where he could find me..." 

"I never sent any messages…" He glanced over at Lexington, who was busily tinkering with the hard drive of his computer, "But it will look like I did by the time she gets here…" 

"Did you really think we'd go through this much trouble just to walk out and let you go?" She gave him a cocked eye, "This wasn't about you… at least not entirely. We needed a way to figure out what risks she was willing to take in order to get at me."

She glanced over at Goliath and felt a chill come over her as she did, "I imagine she had the same plan you did… to use me to get at them."

"The real trick was your meeting with Xanatos," she continued, "Since the city 'seems' to believe he helped the gargoyles, we needed a way to pull the heat off of him, something that would let the city focus on something else for a little while. Nothing will do it faster than the disappearance of a cop…" 

She paused to allow the significance of the last remark to sink in. A soft curse escaped the Hunter's lips, "It was a set up… designed to look like Xanatos was," Jon glared at her, "paying a ransom…" 

"Should Demona, or anyone else for that matter, run your account, they're liable find a rather large chunk of change." She smiled at the others who were helping Lexington put the cover back on the computer and then rested a hand on the case Xanatos had given to him earlier, "Quite a bit of cash for someone who doesn't exist anymore." 

The Hunter glanced over at the case on the table. "Am I to take this as some sort of payoff for allowing you and the beasts to live?"

"Take it or leave it, doesn't matter to me either way, but I think it's only fair to tell you as far as this whole matter is concerned I never got a good look at whoever jumped me… so as long as I don't see you, you still don't exist." 

"It would seem," Jon cocked his head slightly, "I made a mistake… but believe me when I tell you it is not one I will make again. The Hunt is not over…" 

"You just don't get it do you?" Elisa leaned in close to him, unmoved by his veiled threat, "This particular 'Hunt' is over. Your only hope of making in this lifetime is for the Clan to remain alive… and unmolested." 

She glanced down at her watch thoughtfully, "I'd say you have less than twenty minutes… You can try to get the computer and hardware out and be here when Demona shows up… or you can save yourself and leave now. "

Jon Canmore glared at her hard as he stood, "Which will only confirm the beast's and everyone else's suspicions." 

Elisa shrugged. "Like I said before, Demona tends to believe the worst." Turning quickly, she followed Goliath and the others out of the room.

When she reached the door she turned slightly, "If I were you, I'd start running."

***** ***** *****

They stood on the roof of an adjacent building, surrounded by the sounds and smells of the storm fading in the cool night air. Jon Canmore had abandoned the building, with the case, a few minutes after they left and his timing couldn't have been better.

Demona had just arrived. 

They listened for a few minutes to the quiet and then heard the woman go wild. She departed a few minutes later; a rage of fury and wings into the night. The others waited until she was safely out of sight, then departed for the castle leaving Elisa and Goliath alone on the rooftop. 

Elisa stood quietly thinking about how they had gotten to this point. Two weeks ago Lexington had been surfing the web and discovered the message board looking for someone to take on the job of 'dealing' with the gargoyles. It was no surprise to find such a request since they had been popping up on the web quiet often, but it was the first request that had included her name along with the rest of the Clan.

It hadn't taken the young gargoyle long to trace the request back to Demona and even less time to find that the Hunter had taken up the offer. They all knew it was only a matter of time before one of them struck and to prevent the worse from happening they wanted it to be under their terms.

Their only saving grace was that the message stated Elisa was to be taken alive and if she were 'harmed' no payment would be made. Apparently Demona wanted that task for herself and they were counting on greed to keep the Hunter in check and not do anything rash.

Goliath had been against the plan from the start as it meant involvement with Demona. But after several nights of arguing back and forth with Elisa, she eventually won him over. They both knew for the Clan to survive in the city it was necessary to keep the risks to a minimum and lately the biggest threats were the two parties who had unknowingly become partners in the attempt on Elisa's life.

This whole night had come with a price, the question was, how much had they lost?

A few feet from the ledge of the building, Elisa stopped and raised her eyes to the slowly clearing sky, it was studded with growing pinpoints of light. They stood in the quiet for several minutes and it was Goliath who finally broke the silence, "Was it fair to tell him that?" 

The reply was so long in coming, he began to believe she had not heard him... or else had no intention of answering the question.

"What do you mean?" she replied softly

"That little speech. You know we will protect him… despite what he has done we harbor no ill will against him."

"He doesn't know that…" 

The words reminded him of a conversation he'd had with Demona so long ago. Elisa's voice now had the same tone hers did that night and he was chilled by it. "Revenge… That's what this was about…"

"Maybe." She replied after a fashion.

Goliath took a deep breath, "It has never been your way..."

"As much as I hate to admit it… Xanatos may have been right…." She paused, her eyes still fastened on the stars, seeing some distant image invisible to him, "It's the best way to get even."

Goliath looked at her, "Do you feel any better for it?"

Elisa paused to contemplate the question, "I don't know yet…" 

Goliath looked away, this was a side of her he'd never seen before and it worried him. She was displaying attributes he was accustomed to seeing in Demona, and he didn't care for the way things had been left in the building earlier. The similarities were too close. If Elisa were to change the way Demona had… 

He was pulled from his reprieve by the sound of her voice calling to him.

"Goliath," She gave him a tentative look, the tears bright in her eyes, "If it did… and I'm not saying that it does… would you love me any less because of it?"

He could see the pain in her eyes and knew this was taking a toll on her physically as well as emotionally. The fact that she was concerned about how he might react to her actions told him everything he needed to know. She was not the same woman as his former love. 

He took a deep breath and moved to her, "No… My love for you is even greater. You willingly sacrificed a part of yourself to keep us safe." 

"I should have listened to you…" Elisa felt her legs give out and dropped to slowly to the rooftop, "There probably was a better way to do this…"

Goliath scooped her up into his arms and kissed her lightly. He whispered to her softly and felt her wrap her arms around his neck to cling to him tightly; her body shaking slightly as the tears spilled over. 

After a few minutes he shifted her around and carried her to the ledge of the building, "Come My love… Let's go home…" 

***** ***** *****

   [1]: mailto:Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com



	3. The Moment

Here's a Muppet News Flash… I don't own these guys. They are the property of Disney and I wont be making a single cent off of them… so if they feel so inclined to come after me the best I can do is give them my Magic 8-Ball and hope they will accept that in lew of actual money.

I warn you now, this contains sexual content (a gray area between R and NC-17) so if this kind of thing offends you or you happen to be underage, then I suggest you look else where… Don't say I didn't warn you…. 

This actually links "A Darker Side of Light" to "Keeping the Faith". While it's not completely necessary to read either, I surely would appreciate it and as always, feedback is welcome. 

P.S. Yes Pony, I'm still working on the follow-up to "Keeping the Faith"… I just need a good kick in the pants to get it done.

Happy Reading! J

Shadow Runner

***** ***** *****

Goliath finished his patrol early and now stood alone on the balcony of Elisa's apartment. They had agreed to meet tonight, but when he arrived, he found no one home and was troubled that something might have happened to her.

It had been just over a month since he'd had spent any real time with her. Ever since their most recent run in with Jon Canmore and the subsequent, and highly unauthorized, sting operation she, her partner Matt Bluestone, and the rest of the Clan had run two months ago, Elisa had been under close scrutiny by those in 'authority' positions within New York Police Department. 

No one could argue that it was highly unusual for someone to be kidnapped, then found, and not have any suspects or arrests made as a result. If these events had occurred within a standard precinct, there would have been an immediate and full-blown investigation. 

But they didn't.

They happened in the 23rd Precinct, therefore it was par for the course. 

The difference this time revolved around the fact that Elisa was the 'victim', Matt was directly involved in the investigation, and there were a few unconfirmed rumors that David Xanatos had somehow been involved in the situation. 

Accordingly, there were some within the upper echelons that had serious doubts about the integrity of their story. But it was common knowledge that if a case was solved and it didn't involve major damage to the city or rumors of non-existent beasts then Captain Maria Chavez could live with the outcome.

Considering everything else the NYPD, not to mention the entire city, had been through in the last year it was a miracle they didn't put Elisa in protective custody. But in the end, and taking into account there was no evidence to dispute Elisa and Matt's version of the events, those with doubts had no choice but to let the matter drop. 

But it didn't mean they would like it and it certainly didn't mean they wouldn't ask questions. 

And there had been a lot of questions.

Goliath knew the situation weighed heavy on Elisa's mind, but in the end they had no other choice. The actions they had taken ensured the Clans safety, at least for the time being. The Hunter might be willing to lay low but there were other threats in the city that weren't so accommodating. 

Sometimes, while he was on patrol, Goliath would see her working and it took all his strength to not defy her wishes and go to her. He had to constantly remind himself of the inherent dangers and if he were to do so, the problems would be increased by a factor of ten. 

They knew every time they were together the risks of discovery increased and the Clan's safety still depended on anonymity. Rumors could be always be dispelled, unconditional discovery could not, so they now saw each other when it posed the least amount of danger to all the parties involved.

Despite that, Goliath missed her sorely and lately… he found himself wanting more.

And it bothered him greatly.

Glancing out over the city, Goliath took in a deep breath. He had no idea how long he had been standing on her balcony but Elisa still wasn't home and he was beginning to think something had happened to her. He was about to leave to find the others when the light flicked on in the apartment. He stepped back into the shadows for a moment and waited. 

Elisa walked in with a grocery bag in her arms. She set it on the counter of the kitchen and ran her fingers through long black hair as she walked back into the living room. She looked as if she were pondering what to do next. 

Goliath remained silent, watching her.

He observed as she removed her bomber jacket and tossed it on the couch and then returned to the kitchen and started to unpack the contents of the bag; candles, wine, and a few other items. She quickly moved about the room, placing the candles around and then walked over to the stereo systems and fiddled with the controls. 

Soon, soft music replaced the quiet and once again, she was moving about the room, adjusting the furniture and such. She disappeared into another room and returned with a blanket and several large pillows. Spreading the blanket out on the floor, she tossed the pillows down and returned to the kitchen for the wine and two glasses. 

Returning to the living room she began moving about, lighting the candles and dimming the lights. It quickly occurred to him that she was preparing for his arrival and probably hadn't expected him to arrive before her. He felt his heart swell as he smiled at the woman who had so captured his heart.

Elisa turned and glanced over to the balcony just as Goliath stepped into the light. She favored him with a wide grin, apparently not at all surprised to see him already there. 

Walking over, she opened the doors, "I was wondering how long you were going to stand out there."

"You knew I was here?" he questioned stepping back slightly.

"Come on Big Guy, the balcony isn't that big…" 

Elisa stepped out to join him and paused to rub her arms in a half effort to warm herself as an unexpected breeze blew across the terrace. Below, she could hear the distant sounds of the city coming to life and was grateful for the merciful night off she had been granted. 

A part of her felt guilty about accepting the time off since she and Matt still had a pile of work on their desks. Captain Chavez had told them it would still be there when they returned and probably have grown during their brief absence and not to worry about it.

On a deeper level, Elisa knew if they didn't take the night off, Captain Chavez was likely to force them into the time off in light of recent events. 

They all needed some down time.

And that was exactly what she had in mind for tonight.

She closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms behind his neck to kiss him and felt him tense slightly, "What's wrong?" she inquired.

Goliath remained quiet, not trusting his voice and afraid she might hear the unsteadiness of his voice. He had been on the edge before, the edge of panic, and hadn't realized how worried he'd been until just that moment. So afraid something had happened to her, so relieved when he knew she was all right. Instead of answering her question, he leaned down to kiss her.

Elisa pulled back and gave Goliath a questioning look, trying to understand what the problem was. He was trembling and it was obvious that something had frightened him but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what the problem might be. 

Goliath could see the questions in her eyes and gave her a light kiss on the forehead, speaking into her hair softly, "I am glad you are safe..." He finally allowed his gaze to fall back on her, "I do not know what I would do if you were to be taken from me again…"

She took a deep breath and held him close as if to reassure him she was really there; that she was OK. She now understood where his fear was coming from but had assumed they had put the incident with the Hunter behind them. 

Elisa cringed as another tremble wracked its way through Goliath's body. While she had placed the episode far from her mind, it was clearly not the case for him. Cautiously, she pulled away from him and leaned against the ledge of the balcony with her arms crossed over her chest. "Big Guy… Let's not do this, OK?"

Goliath immediately recognized her stance but elected to ignore her warning tone as well as her request to please change the subject and favored her with a look of concern, "Elisa… I will always be concerned for your safety when I am not there to protect…" 

"You can't be there every time I run off half cocked…" Elisa stated matter of factly. She could feel herself being pulled to the defensive and wasn't thrilled with the direction the conversation was about to go. This was not how she planned on spending their evening. 

Goliath took a tentative step forward, "But I should be…"

Elisa felt her face grow hot under his intense gaze. She had a pretty good idea of what he was getting at but at the same time she wasn't sure how to respond to his comments. 

While most couples gauged their relationships in terms of months and years, Elisa measured hers with Goliath in terms of minutes and more often by seconds. It always felt like the limited time they had to spend together was dictated by outside forces. 

She glanced away to look out over the city, lost in her own far away thoughts, "Goliath… we've been over this a thousand times before…"

He gave her a gentle smile of understanding and pulled her back into his embrace, "And we will be here a thousand times more…" 

"True…" Elisa smiled and returned his embrace, surprised to find she wasn't irritated by the over protectiveness he was displaying. Slowly she took him by the talon and led him into her apartment. The lights were low and the candles flickered slightly from the breeze of the open balcony door.

She stood before him, tracing her fingers over his chest. Her touch made his wings twitch slightly. He could almost feel her heartbeat even though they were nearly a foot apart. He knew their hearts might not ever beat as one physically… but they did so in spirit. He pulled her closer and wrapped her in his wings, needing to feel her close against his skin.

Maybe it was the time apart that made the embrace feel different from the other times he had held her. Elisa seemed to radiate energy as if her body was charged with electricity. The need to have her physically near him was stronger than it had ever been, and at the same time, it reminded him of something from long ago. 

A memory faded with time but the feelings remained strong. 

Goliath felt as if he were standing on unstable ground. He was fighting to restrain himself and lost as to what to do. He was uncertain how to proceed but felt his instincts beginning to take over. 

He looked down at Elisa and saw only trust and love in her eyes, and with that one look, his body made the decision his mind failed to make. Goliath pulled her down to the floor, and settled with his back against the couch and her by his side. 

Elisa traced her fingers up and down his lavender chest. It had a familiar feel and reminded her vaguely of the tightly stretched leather from a ceremonial drum her father had when she was a child. She could feel the peculiar beating of his heart and noted that his breathing was slowly increasing. She took a deep breath, savoring his sent, he smelled of leather and stone after a summer rain. 

She knew this was where she belonged. 

It felt like home.

The passion was increasing between them, moving in a directing they'd never attempted before. Goliath tipped her head back to kiss her, now well versed with this human custom. There was a time when the human behavior seemed foreign to him. Now it was second nature to him and he wondered absently why Gargoyles had not picked it up sooner. 

He was lost in his own thoughts of her, the softness of her skin on his, the touch of her hands over him. Her sable hair smelled of strawberries but underneath that there was another sent; tender and comforting but at the same time carnal and powerful. 

He once again felt himself wanting… needing… more.

Elisa felt him push her away slightly, to look deeply into her eyes. It was as if he were looking into her very soul. His black eyes were smoldering and she looked away self-consciously, unable to read his intense expression. She reached over and lifted the wine from a near by table and handed Goliath the bottle. She was about to hand him the corkscrew, but realized he didn't need it. 

With a soft poke of a talon, Goliath pulled the cork from the bottle. 

She cocked an eye at him and held out the glasses. "That's a handy little trick," she said softly.

As he poured the wine, the music played softly in the background. She took one glass and handed him the other. They tapped crystal flutes lightly and the sound seemed to blend perfectly with the music. 

Goliath gazed at her over his glass, the wine tasted sweet on his lips and made his head buzz slightly as he allowed his eyes run over Elisa's face and down her body. 

She wore a light blue button up blouse with light colored slacks. It was a different look than her work attire, more casual and relaxed. The sleeves were rolled up a bit to expose the lower part of her arms. She had kicked off her shoes earlier and he marveled at the smallness of her feet. 

Goliath chuckled to himself. How could someone with such small feet be so strong?

He found himself thinking of all they had been though in the last two years; of all the events they had fought and suffered for to get to where they were today. It had been a perilous journey and often the road was rough, but in the end he could think of few events that he would have changed.

Elisa gave him a questioning glance. Goliath was often quiet and introspective but it was becoming clear there was something else besides their time together occupying his thoughts at the moment. "What's on your mind?" she inquired gently.

Goliath's voice was deep and seemed to reverberate in the room. "I am trying to understand how we got to this place..." he replied softy. 

There was a long pause as Elisa followed his gaze. "By looking at my feet?" she inquired casually trying to lighten his mood.

Goliath allowed the comment to go unanswered and shifted around until he felt her lay her head against his shoulder again. They sat this way for several minutes each lost in their own thoughts.

Elisa felt a rush of warmth radiate from Goliath's body as she rested against him. "Is it that important how we got here?" she finally asked in reference to his earlier words.

"Yes… I think it is…" he replied thoughtfully.

Elisa was quiet. For months they had avoided the subject of their tenuous relationship, but now it would seem the time for slow was over and both of them had run out of excuses not to discuss it. 

Human and Gargoyle reactions to situations were not always compatible and it was often reflected in the almost comical ways they interacted with each other. The first time she slipped her tongue into Goliath's mouth, he very nearly jumped out of his skin.

Elisa lifted her head and studied Goliath's face, which was now just as curious and inquisitive as hers had been before. She absently, almost instinctively, touched his face and brushed a finger over his lips, "I don't know…I wish I did, but the truth is… I just don't know…" 

She sighed as she laid her head back onto his shoulder and spoke in the general direction of his neck, "It just... happened…"

Goliath felt the heat from her breath on his skin and felt the need growing again. He didn't want to press the issue, but the images entering his mind were becoming harder to control and he didn't with to alarm her. In an effort to hide what he was feeling, he none too gently pushed her away and saw the hurt expression on her face when he did so. 

"Goliath," She said softly. When he didn't respond, she set her glass down and repeated his name a bit louder, "Goliath."

Hearing her speaking his name pulled him out of his contemplation, but he refused to look her, "Don't shut me out… not tonight…" she implored.

The anguish in her voice brought nearly brought tears to his eyes, "You know not of what you ask…"

She lifted his head so he could see her. So he could look into her eyes and understand what it was she was telling him, "Yes… I do…"

Goliath searched her eyes, praying for a reason to keep her back; knowing he wouldn't find one. 

Elisa closed her eyes and pressed her lips against his. He shifted and wrapped his wings around her and held her tightly. His tongue slid across her lips and into her mouth and this time it was she who nearly jumped out of her skin. She could feel his talons tremble as his they roamed up and down her back, pulling her closer trying to meld them into one being. 

"Elisa… please… we must stop…" he gasped out suddenly.

"Why?" She murmured into his neck.

Goliath felt her breath, warm against his skin. He sat up and kissed her softly on the top of the head, needing her to understand what it was that he was not only asking but also desiring. "Because I do not wish to pressure you…" 

"What makes you think you're pressuring me into anything?" she inquired.

Goliath glanced away in mild embarrassment, "I do not know that 'this' will even be possible…" 

The last part was spoken almost like a plea and to Elisa it almost sounded like a request for her to put a stop to this before they went any further. 

She shifted around and took his glass from him setting it on the near by table. He expected her to return to her original position, but instead she raised up slightly and straddled the lower part of his body and ground her hips against him. She was immediately rewarded with his soft moan of desire. 

"Why wouldn't it…?" she teased, "Seems to me that 'this' is working out just fine…"

In Elisa's heart she knew she wouldn't refused him no matter what the problems might be. In fact she was rather surprised that he was even speaking of his desire to be with her in such a way. She leaned back and traced her finger over the ridges of his brow as if in reassurance and then placed her arms around him and leaned into his chest. She slowly caressed the area where his wings joined his back and smiled when she felt him quivering in reaction to her touch. 

"Elisa…" He warned again.

She ignored him and leaned in and kissed him softly on the brow, the eyes, the bridge of his nose, and finally resting on his lips. "Believe me… I think between the two of us, we can figure it out…" she whispered between kisses. 

She began cautiously, building slowly. Running her fingers through his hair and over the ridges of his head she traced the outlines of his face with her hands. 

Goliath felt his earlier concerns slipping away, being pulled from him by her gentle touch. He relaxed as the sensations and soft kisses continued. Her lips still tasted of the wine and he hungered for more.

Gradually, he raised his arms to touch her tentatively on the shoulders. When she didn't flinch at the contact, he became bolder, moving them down her arms, caressing her delicately. Stopping to grasp her hands, he brought them to his lips, kissing them and rubbing them to his cheek. 

The CD player clicked softly as the discs shuffled around. The music continued, but Goliath heard none of it. He was lost in the magic of the moment, and didn't want to focus on anything but the woman before him.

His Elisa. 

Elisa slowly leaned back from him, as this was the moment of truth. She knew if she stopped now, Goliath might allow his earlier concerns overtake their mutual desire. Slowly she pulled her hands from his and began unbuttoning her blouse. 

Goliath reached up to stop her. The hurt look on her face made him realize she was misinterpreting his actions. He brought her arms back down to her sides and smiled at her. After a momentary pause he raised his talons to her shoulders and slowly, almost deliberately, he moved to the buttons of her blouse. 

With quivering talons, he began to finish what she had started. 

Elisa's breathing was coming in short bursts, and if she knew if she wasn't careful she was going to start hyperventilating. She closed her eyes and tried to control it but was having little luck.

When Goliath finished he lowered his arms and gazed upon her. The blouse was still partially closed but it exposed enough to make him want more. Carefully, he brought his arms back up and slipped it from her shoulders… and then stopped once again.

Elisa opened her eyes carefully when she felt him stop and was surprised to find him just looking at her. She wondered for a moment about what he was looking at, what he might be seeing, and cocked her head slightly, "What's wrong?"

He didn't speak as he was in awe. He just sat there listening but not hearing; looking, but not really seeing. He let his gaze roll over her body, noting the way her chest rose and fell with her breathing, he could almost see the pulse of her blood in the veins of her neck. 

He let his talons trace over her skin and started to give her a soft smile but stopped; the uneasiness he felt earlier had found its way back to him. Elisa was about to reach over to him but he abruptly lifted a taloned hand up to prevent her from touching him and refused to meet her questioning gaze.

Elisa looked at him in bewilderment. At first she had no idea what had caused him to react to her in such a way. She felt her eyes being pulled in the direction of her own body and looked down to see what he was seeing.

His eyes were locked on a scar high up on her chest. 

Not just any scar but 'The Scar'.

She felt her heart stop for an instant and realized this was the first time he had actually seen it. They both knew there was another, smaller vertical surgical incision, near the base of her spine… where they removed the bullet from her.

Goliath flashed to that night, Owen Burnett standing on the parapet of the castle to inform him she'd been shot. Of seeing her lying helpless on the hospital… of learning it was not Anthony Dracon who had almost killed her, but Broadway. 

Elisa raised his talons to the scar and when he hesitated, she pressed slightly, "It's OK…it's a part of me…" 

He finally allowed her to lead him, to guide him to the point on her body that was causing such anguish for him.

"See?" she said softly, it's a part of who I am now…"

He traced it slowly, "So very fragile…" 

Elisa didn't think he wasn't referring to her but rather the circumstances. She refused to allow him to dwell on things they could not change and instead focused on the reality of the situation, "Well… I'm still here… so unless you plan on sending me away, I'm not going anywhere… "

Goliath allowed his hands to develop a mind of their own as they began moving over her body. He gently caressed her breasts, cupping one in his large claw, rubbing a talon over the fabric of her bra and the hardening nipple beneath. Elisa tried to stifle a soft moan but it somehow managed to escape her lips.

Goliath watched Elisa in wonder as he continued his gentle caress. It was magical to see the changes coming over her by his touch, the way she responded to his actions. To know she truly trusted, needed… and wanted him. 

The sensations caused goose flesh to break out over her exposed flesh and Elisa shuddered. She felt the nearly dormant and all but forgotten feelings of passion building within her. The dull ache of knowing what she wanted and having it so very close. She listened to the soft voice of desire, long thought non-existent, coming to life. She groaned softly, arching her back slightly and reached back to unclasp her bra and set it off to the side.

Goliath pulled her to him, the feeling of flesh on flesh for the first time with her, however limited it might become, was intoxicating. He ran his talons over her back and down to the base of her spine. He felt the need building in him again, "Elisa…" he gasped out.

"If you tell me we have to stop then we will…" Elisa closed her eyes and leaned in, kissing his neck, but stopped for a moment breathing heavily into his throat, "But I'm kinda hoping you won't…" 

He brought her closer and nuzzled at her neck, "I doubt I could stop even if I wanted too…" 

Elisa felt his tail begin tracing small circle on her back, causing a whole new batch of goose flesh to break out on her. She also felt something else. Something she hadn't noticed before and it didn't take long for her to realize the effect she was having on him. 

She shifted around on him trying to get into an acceptable position but between her slacks and Goliath's belt, something was going to have to give. 

"Hmmm…I think… maybe… we do need to stop…" she mumbled as she rolled off him. She struggled with the buttons on her pants and was dismayed to find her hands shaking so badly that she was unable to get them undone. 

Slowly Goliath rose and pulled her to her feet and moved large talons to the button of her pants, "Allow me…"

Elisa felt a cool breeze as Goliath slipped them down around and removed them. 

She stood before him, clad only small cotton panties. He knelt before her and pulled them down, pushing them over her hips and down her legs. She stepped daintily out of them as he took in a deep breath and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lightly kissed the scar on her chest and whispered her name into her taunt flesh. He felt her raise her hands to stroke the back of his head lovingly.

They remained like that for some time until Elisa gradually worked her arms between them and began tugging at his belt. She could not understand why the stupid thing was not coming off and began yanking at it in frustration. 

Goliath finally stood and assisted her before she became irate to the point of getting a knife to cut the leather. He tossed the belt to the side and the loincloth fell to the floor. They now stood completely naked before each other.

Elisa looked down coyly, and was taken back for a moment. She looked up quickly and was greeted by Goliath's bemused expression, "Not quiet what you expected?" he inquired.

"No… yes… ahhh…" she stammered and tried to compose herself, "Maybe not 'exactly' what I expected…"

He pulled her to him, feeling the beat of her heart and for a moment, he could actually hear it in his mind. The sound made him feel warm and lightheaded much the way the wine had earlier. "Elisa… If we continue…"

"Shhh…" she said softly as she placed a quieting finger to his lips, "No words… not right now… we'll worry about the rest later…"

Goliath pulled her closer, and for an instant, her heart did beat in time with his. It took a few minutes for it to return to normal, but it still raced to beat with his. He was lost in how extraordinary it felt to actually know and feel a heartbeat that wasn't his own. 

Slowly he guided them both to the floor, he on his back with his wings still wrapped firmly about them. He loosened his grasp slightly so that she might be able to move about. They quietly moved into the positions they were in before, with her straddling his lower body. She lowered her head and slowly laid small kisses down his chest. 

Elisa looked up at him, needing to see his face in the dim light. His eyes were closed but he had a gentle smile on his face. One arm held her in a loose hug, tracing his talons up and down her back while the other flexed tightly and then relaxed as if in an instinctive reaction to what she was doing to him. She continued with the light kisses, running her fingers up and down his chest, slowly moving down towards his groin.

When she finally touched him, he sucked in a sharp breath and arched his body to her. She slowly wrapped her hand around his growing erection, noting her fingers barely touched when she fully grasped it. 

She felt Goliath's claw on the side of her head and her heart skipped a beat, "Have mercy…" he whispered. 

Elisa smiled again and returned her attention back to him. She figured he'd be big, not quite like this, but wasn't so much the size that made him different. Overall it was much like a… man's… but different. 

The color was much the same as the rest of him, with the tip being a bit darker than the rest and the shaft was lined with a series of soft barbs and ridges. He didn't have the crown the way human men did, rather it merely tapered at the tip and was crooked away from him rather than to him. She continued to trace a finger around him, stroking and teasing him lightly. 

Goliath clinched talons tightly, holding on to nothingness. Her touch was becoming too much for him and as he pulled her gently to him, he murmured softly, "Come to me…" 

He lifted her onto him and she slowly slid down on him. She gasped out loud slightly as another moan escaped her lips as he entered her for the first time. 

Goliath halted his actions as a look of concern crossed over his face. It appeared his earlier concerns might have had some merit and he had no desire to hurt her. 

"Are you alright?" he inquired. 

Elisa was breathing heavily, "Don't you even think about stopping… if you do, I swear to God I'll smack the hell out of you…" she warned.

The pressure was enormous for both of them. It had been years since her body had know a lover and over a thousand for him. She was much tighter than he expected and he took great care as not to hurt her. As she became accustom to his size, she slid down a bit more. After several minutes she had taken as much of him as her body would allow and they were joined as one. Neither moved, taking in all the sensations they were receiving from each other. 

Goliath could actually see her pulse racing and her breathing was rapid. Emotions poured out from her and he received them all with open arms. Love poured out clearer than the rest and that was the one he held to the tightest, never wanting to let the feeling go. 

For Elisa it was the most earth shattering feeling she'd ever had. Never before had someone, anyone, taken such care in loving her. Slowly she began to rock, her mind reeling as the passion built within her. She felt his claws at her hips slowly guiding her movements and creating a delightful friction. She felt her need threatening to over take her control and gasped again in an attempt to catch her breath.

Goliath rose slightly as if to sit up and she shifted to wrap her legs around him. With his tail he traced at the small of her back. Elisa reeled in the perception that if she'd had wings this would be where his tail was now tracing small movements… much the same way she had done to him earlier. 

It was an extraordinary sensual feeling. 

Their eyes locked and in an instant all that would ever need to be said passed between the two of them. 

It was a moment many never find, but somehow, despite everything that threatened to tear them apart… they had found it together.

Their climax came in the form of an explosion that took them both by surprise. Elisa's cry of release was all but lost in Goliath's subdued roar and his eyes blazed white in the darkened room. 

Resting her head against his, she panted, "Godallmighty…" 

Goliath was at a loss for words, "Jalapena..." he murmured quietly and smiled at Elisa's muffled giggle.

"Was that…" she paused attempting to catch her breath, "Is that…how… it always… is for you?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Goliath found his own voice barely strong enough to speak, "No…This was… something more… something I have never experienced…" 

Elisa cocked her head in surprise, "Never?"

"No…never before… until now…" he voiced quietly.

Elisa knew he was speaking of Demona.

Neither said anything for a very long time. For the first time, and without even voicing it in so many words, he told her he loved her in a way he loved no other.

For Elisa it was more than she thought… dreamed… she might be a part of. It was more than their joining that had brought them to this point; they now had a tie, a connection, never to be broken. An emptiness she hadn't known she had was suddenly filled and in Elisa's mind the only explanation was for it was… love.

Love in its purest form.

For the first time she truly understood how rare and special their relationship was. 

They remained locked in the feeling for some time. She smiled at him, tears welling up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tightly. Goliath, for his part just held her, allowing the wave of emotions to roll over them both. 

Her voice was muffled, "I never thought…" 

This time it was he who held a quieting talon to her lips, "Shhh… there are no words..."

Elisa felt the need growing again, stronger than before and she was surprised to feel him still erect within her. It was as if he was picking up on her desire and she quickly realized he probably was. He made no movement, not pressing her for more, allowing her to take control, to lead them wherever they might go next. She shifted around, trying to pull him over on to her without withdrawing from him. 

Goliath hesitated, "Elisa, I'll crush you…"

"Not if we do this right..." she teased.

He rose up, holding her to him and careful not to release his grip. He rested her on her back and supported himself on his arms over her. She spread her legs a bit farther apart to give him more room and wrapped her fingers around his neck. Slowly he started to move within her. His movements were slow and cautious.

"I'm not going to break…" she said between clinched teeth.

"Yes, but I might…" He increased his stoke slightly and felt the now familiar burning need building once again. He was uncertain if the emotions were his own or Elisa's, since the two had somehow become interconnected. He slowed his movements, allowing the sensations time to build independently. He lowered his head and nipped lightly at her neck, allowing his kisses to linger on her lips. 

Their lovemaking was slower this time, more practiced, as if they had been at this point a thousand times before.

She moved her hands from behind his neck and traced the outlines of his face, stopping on his lips. Holding his face in her hands she carefully slipped her tongue into his mouth, licking lightly at his teeth, feeling the points of his fangs, carefully exploring his mouth. She heard the low grumble in his throat, indicating that what she was doing was provoking stronger feelings to build within him. 

Goliath increased his movements again, thrusting harder but taking care not to injure her. His only thoughts were of her and his desire to please her… and he wanted the feelings to last. He felt her legs wrap around him, pulling him tighter to her and knew he would not be able to hold off much longer.

She cried out his name over and over, professing her need and desire for him. Upon hearing this he increased his actions, trying to stay focused but loosing himself in the moment. Their eruption this time was as powerful as the first but carried more emotion. 

Elisa moaned in ecstasy, barely able to speak and completely unable to move. 

Goliath pulled her closer and lifted her slightly so that he wouldn't crush her when he collapsed. Never before had he felt so drained and spent, but the exhaustion was more than welcome. He shifted her around so that she could curl up beside his body. After several minutes, he realized she had fallen asleep with a tender but content expression on her face. 

"Ahh, My Elisa…" He smiled in the darkness and whispered in her ear, echoing the words she said to him earlier, "I am here… and I am not going anywhere…"

***** ***** *****

They remained on the floor through out the night. Elisa drifting off to sleep periodically, Goliath holding her in his arms, the comfort of the quiet music still playing in the dark, the candles burning low.

Elisa stirred slightly, "Hmmm…you're still awake?"

"Yes."

"Not sleepy?" she inquired.

"A bit… but not overly so…"

She was still curled beside him with her head on his chest. She shifted and started to rise but stumbled slightly. Goliath started to rise in alarm, but she waived him off.

"It's nothing… just… a bit sore…" she said ruefully.

A cloud of concern passed over his face, "Because of…"

Elisa knew what he was about to say and stopped him before he could get the words out, "No, not because of you… It's just been awhile…" 

He continued to look at her in confusion, so she left it at, "It's a woman thing." 

Goliath nodded without really understanding and allowed her to get more comfortable. He was now leaning against the couch with Elisa between his legs, her back resting against his chest. 

They sat in the quiet, Goliath running his talons through her hair, as she traced the edges of his legs. "We can't go back… to the way we were before can we?" She whispered.

"No, we cannot…"

"Do you… feel any different?" she inquired.

He thought about her question and settled on, "Stronger… and you?"

"I feel…" she yawned sleepily and drifted off before finishing the sentence.

Goliath kissed her softly on the top of her head. Her hair was disheveled but in his eyes she had never looked more beautiful. He allowed his arms to hold her tighter, tracing small lines down her arms, causing her to pull in tighter to him; an automatic response to his touch. 

His only desire in life was to keep her safe, but he knew that the nature of their relationship would not allow for that to happen.

Unless it changed.

And without a doubt it had.

He thought back to the conversation they had earlier that evening. Elisa had said earlier that he couldn't come after her every time she ran off half cocked but the truth of the matter was… he could.

Goliath shifted slightly not wishing to wake her and wrapped his wings around them in a protective cocoon, and drifted off to dream with his love. 

Keeping them both warm and safe from the outside world.

***** ***** *****

Elisa felt Goliath stirring and pulled in tighter to him reluctant to give up the intimacy of their embrace, "What time is it?" she murmured.

He returned her affection briefly and then carefully disengaged from her arms to stand, "Dawn will be approaching soon…" 

Elisa followed his movement and felt her spirits drop. She pulled at the blanket and wrapped it around her loosely, "I know you can't stay much longer…"

Goliath's reply was long in coming, "I should go…" 

He remained quite, lost in the thought that he would soon have to leave her. Finally he spoke softly in the pre-dawn hours, "But I do not wish to leave you…"

Elisa glanced up at him in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Yes… if you would allow me to stay…"

"Are you kidding?" Elisa favored him with a reserved smile. She would have felt guilty asking, knowing she'd be pulling him from the Clan, but she couldn't bear the thought of him not being close after tonight, "I'm glad you want to stay…"

He returned to the floor and sat beside her. They remained in the mutual silence for several minutes before Goliath finally spoke, "Elisa…" he voiced quietly, "What happened tonight was singular, unique…" 

Elisa knew the subject was going to come up and in a way she was relieved but at the same time, she had no idea what to expect since Gargoyles weren't exactly known to engage in casual sex. 

Not that her relationship with Goliath was casual and what they had experienced this night was more than just sex, but she didn't want this to become an awkward situation later on down the road and the sooner they talked about it the better. 

"And changes everything..." Elisa concluded for him.

"Yes, it does change much…" he agreed. He shifted and pulled Elisa to her feet and then knelt before her.

He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and then spoke softly, "Do you love me?" 

The abruptness of his words caused Elisa to flinch in reflex. "What the hell kind of question is that?" she demanded.

"Just answer me…" he pressed.

Taken back by his harsh tone, she nodded, "Of course I do, you know that…" 

"And you know that I love you…?" 

"Yeah…" she responded, beginning to get suspicious. She had a feeling she knew where all this was leading, but remained silent waiting to see if she was right.

The roar of his pounding heart echoed in his ears as he fought the urge to just leave. He held her at arms length and looked deep into her eyes. He knew he was about to embark on a dangerous path that would ultimately be the true test of their commitment to each other.

For Gargoyles, it was a given after what they had experienced tonight, but Elisa was human and their customs were still new to him so he felt a certain need to ask before he assumed anything.

"Then… I would ask you…" he paused just long enough to collect his nerve. "Elisa Maza… I would ask you to become my Mate…" 

It was more a demand than a request and it was spoken with a silent prayer to the Gods, Dragons, and anyone else he thought might be listening to him at the moment.

Shocked, Elisa opened her mouth to reply, but found herself unable to speak. Mating was a Gargoyle term but she knew it had the very same meaning as Marriage did in her world. Absently she wondered if this was because of tonight but one look into Goliath's eyes told her it was more than that and somehow she knew he would be asking this of her whether they had made love or not.

She was somewhere between laughing and crying but at the same time, she was touched that Goliath was willing to make such a strong commitment to her personally… but... was she ready to make the same vow to him? 

Elisa had always believed the greatest relationships were born out of close friendships. They happened slowly, going undetected until one sudden unexpected instant.

She had that had with Goliath, but was she ready to allow herself to give that much of herself to him? Ready to let him truly be there for her physically and emotionally after denying him for so long? 

Goliath was the one person who calmed her fears, supported her, and brought out feelings she never thought possible. 

Feelings she had locked safely inside herself for so long.

Too long...

Was she ready?

She was. 

She knew all along she was and though maybe she was waiting for the right moment to say so.

"Yes…" she whispered, answering his silent prayer.

Neither of them spoke or moved and finally Goliath cupped her head with gentle talons and pulled her to him. As close as they were, they hadn't truly made eye contact until now. He gave her a very tentative kiss, which was in turn followed by a more confident one, from which Elisa pulled away early and smiled thoughtfully at him, "Yes Goliath of Wyvern, I will be your Mate…"

Goliath looked down, "You knew I was going to ask this didn't you…?" 

"I suspected," Elisa answered truthfully. "But I wasn't certain until just now… tonight... was The Moment."

Goliath looked at her with some confusion, "The Moment?"

"The Moment," Elisa confirmed as a single tear roll down her cheek. "When my best friend became... so much more."

Goliath smiled and lifted a gentle talon to wipe the tear away. As he heard the words on her lips, he pulled her closer, whispering in her ear, "What you have brought to my life is so precious and so beautiful… I may not be worthy of such a gift…"

Elisa pulled back and looked into his eyes, "Listen to me Big Guy. Don't you ever say or think that again… not ever. You are my life…" 

He pulled her close, "Whatever I am, whatever I have, it is yours. Now and forever…"

He could feel her tears on his chest and neck and realized they were mixing with his own as they held tightly to each other. 

Holding on as if they would never let go. 

Holding on so that the night might not ever end.

Slowly, they began to make love again… for the first time as Mates.

***** ***** *****

They stood on the balcony. Elisa was still wrapped in the blanket and Goliath was again wearing his belt and loincloth. He seemed almost uncomfortable with it on as he stood behind her with both taloned hands resting on her shoulders. His tail was wrapped around her ankle in a casual manner, as if they always stood like this waiting for sunrise.

Elisa glanced over her shoulder to look at him. This night had been magical for her and she was trying to find the one word to put it all in perspective. Unable to decide on just one word, she finally settled on turning in his embrace and leaning into him taking comfort in the knowledge that he remained with her not because he had to but because he wanted to.

Goliath looked down at her and smiled. If there was any doubt they would become Mates, it had long sense passed. He held her close, breathing in her sent, feeling the beat of her heart against his body for one last time this night. 

"It is time…" He moved away reluctantly and knelt down on one knee to greet the dawn. Looking over his shoulder at her, he smiled softly, "Sleep well…" he spoke softly.

"I'll see you soon." Elisa replied.

The sun caught him just as she finished the words, but he'd somehow managed to get one last declaration out before the transformation took him.

"My Love…"

She stood there with him on the balcony, feeling the warmth of the sun on her face. She rested a hand on his stone form and leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the head, "I love you too Big Guy." She doubted he heard but she felt better for having said it.

Slowly, she turned and walked back into the apartment to feed Cagney.

***** ***** *****

They stood on the balcony and gazed at the sleeping pair before them as an impossible fog engulfed the room.

The room smelled faintly of smoke and candle wax. On a near by table a bottle of wine remained next two crystal glasses, both hardly touched and still nearly full. The human woman lay on the couch wrapped in a blanket while the gargoyle, locked in his stone sleep, rested just beyond the threshold of the apartment. 

Both were oblivious to their presence.

They were surprised to find them together so soon but it wasn't totally unforeseen.

Still, it had taken them some time to locate them. 

They knew they could have inquired as to their location from the other Clan members but their visit was unannounced and they expected it was highly unlikely that any of the Gargoyles would be willing to tell them even if they knew were they were. 

The Children of Oberon were not always welcome in the Human Realm.

Besides, they had been given explicit instructions not to go to Wyvern since its human inhabitants would take a very dim view of the intrusion… not to mention The Puck might consider them a threat and try to intervene.

Selene turned to place a subtle hand against the sleeping form of Goliath and turned to the others, "Explain to me why we have been asked to do this?"

Phoebe entered the apartment in a swirl of mist, her golden hair shimmering in the daylight, "It was a tasking Sister… not a request." 

Luna moved in as well and stood over Elisa watching her sleep. "Such as it was… I will never understand the preoccupation with Humans… They are such a weak and inferior species…."

Each voice was nearly indistinguishable from others but at the same time they were distinctly different.

Phoebe inclined her head slightly, "Does he dream?"

Selene traced a delicate finger over Goliath's stone brow, "Yes, he does…"

Luna looked up as she brushed a strand of silver hair from her face and smiled a mischievous grin, "As does she… although I doubt she would admit to it…"

Elisa shifted and rolled over sleepily, mumbling incoherent words but did not wake.

The three women exchanged knowing glances and nodded in silent agreement.

"Then it shall be done…" Phoebe appraised the sleeping woman with a measured eye before raising her hand slightly and passing it over her body. A light blue crystal shimmering emitted from her fingers and was dusted over the human like a fine covering of snow and then disappeared. 

The spell caused a breeze which blew across the room and lifted Selene's dark raven hair, "Goliath and his Clan are shielded against the magic of Avalon…" she replied gravely.

Phoebe smiled devilishly, "And Lord Oberon will not be pleased when He discovers we went against His Law…" 

"But it is not His Law that we have been instructed to carry out…" Luna replied noncommittally as she continued to stare at the sleeping woman before her. "A certain interest has been taken in this one… and it is not our place to defy… only to serve."

All three moved together and formed a small circle and spoke in unison. "They share in a secret wish and therefore have been granted… a gift…"

And as quickly as they arrived, the Weird Sisters were gone.


	4. Keeping the Faith

Keeping the Faith

By ShadowRunner Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my stuff and provide much welcome feedback. I eat it up like candy which would explain all the hyper-activity.

Star light, Star bright, first star I see tonight… damn… another perfectly good wish down the drain. I still don't own them, I still don't make any money off them, but you gotta love Disney for making them and they still belong to them. I'm just borrowing them for the time being and anyone you don't recognize belongs to me and if for some bizarre reason you want to use them let me know. 

***** ***** *****

Matt Bluestone couldn't remember the last time this many people had shown up for a briefing and certainly not one as boring as this. Apparently, the system administrator was tired of the network servers being bogged down by the rash of jokes being forwarded around the station via email. It was painfully clear that a majority of those present could care less and Matt thought the subject was hardly worth a fifteen-minute explanation on why this was a bad thing. Finally, and to everyone's relief, the Duty Sergeant walked up to the podium and began going over case and duty assignments.

Matt nearly choked on the eraser he was chewing on when his partner, Detective Second Class Elisa Maza, walked into the squad room of the 23rd Precinct. Granted she showed up twenty minutes late but the fact she showed up at all was a miracle. As a rule, anyone on duty was expected to attend shift briefings, but Elisa was the lone exception within the 23rd.

In the all the time they'd been partners, Matt had yet to see her attend a detective's meeting, shift briefing, or any other briefing for that matter. Other officers would joke that the detective didn't even have a desk since she spent so little time at it. He laughed to himself, Elisa may have gotten better about doing her share the paperwork, but briefings were one area she'd yet to show the slightest inkling to improve upon.

Generally, Matt attended the briefings and would let her know if there was anything she needed to be brought up to speed on. At a standard precinct, a Duty Sergeant or, more likely, the Captain, would have said something to both of them since neither would condone this behavior. 

But the 23rd Precinct was not a standard station within the New Your Police Department… not by a long shot.

No one said anything about the arrangement because, quiet simply, Elisa was the best at what she did, and therefor granted a certain amount of latitude. 

Elisa looked around the squad room and finally noticed Matt sitting off to one side and moved to sit down beside him. Several of the other detectives looked equally surprised to see her and moved over to make room for her. She nodded to them as Matt leaned over and whispered, "To what do we owe this pleasure?" 

She reached into the pocket of her well-worn red bomber jacket and withdrew a sheet of paper and handed it to him. She kept her eyes straight ahead and said nothing. Matt glanced over the note, which essentially said attend the briefing or Captain Chavez would have her badge.

It appeared today that latitude had been revoked.

Matt seriously doubted there was any real threat behind the words, still Elisa looked less than thrilled about being summoned to the meeting. He knew she usually like to check in with Goliath and the others before shift and this was probably the reason she looked so bothered about being bullied to the meeting in the first place. Matt focused back on the briefing and took a few notes on cases he figured were about to be assigned to them when Captain Chavez walked in to address the group.

"Evening everyone, I want to thank you all for coming." She made a point of locking eyes with Elisa, relieved to see the detective put enough stock in the vague threat to attend. "In light of some recent incidents, the department feels certain issues need to be addressed." 

There was a general grumbling from the group as she continued, "Namely our health and well being here in the 23rd." The grumbling increased and Captain Chavez had to elevate her voice in order to be heard over the noise level, "We all have to be scheduled for physicals exams by the end of the quarter." 

Several officers groaned and more than a few made it a point of looking in Elisa's direction as if she might have something to do with the sudden need for check ups. 

Captain Chavez held up a sheet of paper, "This is mandatory for everyone so you'll be able to do it on the clock. Get with Officer Morgan to pick dates and times. That's all I have for you, hit the street people and be safe out there tonight." 

Clearly they were not happy with the news but no one was arguing the point and several people were already standing around Morgan waiting to pick their dates and times. As she glanced over the few remaining officers and detectives, she caught Elisa's expression and groaned softly. She should have known better than to think no one was going to argue about this. 

Elisa walked over, the debate already poised on her lips as she approached, "Captain, I really don't have time for this so if I could just be excused…"

Captain Chavez meet her with a steely gaze, "What ever the problem is Detective, I don't care. Make time."

Elisa continued as if her boss hadn't said a thing, "I've got three open cases on my desk and Matt just told me we're picking up two more tonight from Vice…"

Chavez looked at the woman, "Listen to me: I don't care what you have to shuffle around or how much of an inconvenience this is for you, just make it happen."

Elisa knew she wasn't going to get out of the physical, and truth be told she knew she needed one, but for some reason she felt the need to argue about being forced into one. "Come on Cap… you and I both know this is just…."

Chavez didn't give her a chance to finish her statement, "You have been shot, knocked off a bridge, almost drowned, nearly killed in a building explosion, and this most resent incident leads me to believe you need a check up worse than anyone in this department… And by the way, I've yet to see any of the paperwork from that little fiasco…" 

"It will be on your desk by the end of my shift… but it might mean I wont have time to get with Morgan…"

Captain Chavez held a copy of the exam schedule out to her, "I've already taken the liberty of putting your name at the top of the list… Tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM. No excuses."

***** ***** *****

Elisa sat on the exam table in the flimsy paper robe looking at posters warning of the dangers of smoking and heart disease, waiting for this latest inconvenience to done with. She could hear Matt in the next room 'instructing' the doctor to quit poking him so much. She tried to stifle a grin, at least she wasn't the only one who was less than happy about the physicals.

She was pulled from her musing by a man entering the exam room. He walked in with a stack of files and charts in his hands and set the pile down on a table. He picked Elisa's chart up from the top and turned to face her, "Hi, I'm Nathan Phillips..."

Elisa gave him an arched eye, "You're going to give me a physical?"

He smiled at her, "No, I'm a med tech and take care of the grunt work. The Doc will be in a little bit for the fun stuff." He set the chart on the table and reached out for Elisa's arm to take her vitals. 

Mid way through the preliminary checklist, he noticed a small rough area near Elisa's hairline and closer scrutiny revealed seven small, irregular stitches. He turned back to her chart but found no reference for a recent head injury. He looked over at her, "Ah… Those stitches are about ready to come out. I can pull 'em if you like."

Elisa blushed slightly, "No, it's alright. My regular doc can get them later…"

He shrugged slightly, "Suit yourself." He rolled up the makeshift sleeve on her makeshift gown and reached over to pull a needle and syringe from a drawer, "OK, let's get some blood…" 

***** ***** *****

Elisa sat in the waiting area and tried to remain patient. This was getting ridiculous, she'd been sitting there for almost half an hour waiting to see the doctor for the final portions of her physical. 

Matt sat in a chair next to hers flipping through a two year old copy of Newsweek and finally noticed her fidgeting, "What is wrong with you?" he inquired.

"I'm tired of waiting, that's what's wrong with me. Christ Matt, your physical took less than five minutes!" She tossed her hands up in exasperation and rose from her chair, "I think we both have better things to do than wait for Doctor Strangelove to tell me I'm perfectly healthy… Let's go."

He continued to flip through the magazine making no attempt to rise, "I doubt leaving in the middle of your exam is going to endear you with Chavez…"

"Matt, come on, I practically got a physical a week ago!"

Matt glanced up long enough to give her one of his best condescending expressions, "I don't think Angela sewing up your head counts as a physical…"

Elisa's brow pulled together in irritation, "In light of the situation, I think she did just fine…"

"Come on, she did it in the middle of the Great Hall and that was only because Lex found those medical books explaining how it do it." He continued flipping through the pages without really reading any of them, "It hardly qualifies as medical treatment."

"Fine. Next time, you tell her she's not a doctor and see how well she takes it."

He finally tossed the magazine on one of the near by tables, "Elisa, you were tossed through a plate glass window by a guy twice your size, who, if I remember correctly, was about to step on the back of your neck. The only reason he stopped was because…" 

He was cut off from saying anything further by the technician Elisa had seen earlier, "Detective Maza?"

Elisa turned to the man, "I think she just left, I'll go and get her…"

Matt stood and caught her arm before she could leave, "I don't think she'd mind if you stood in for her…"

She gave him a half-hearted glare, "Tattle-tale…"

The tech smiled at the pair as if he was in on the joke, "The Doctor will see you…"

"About time..." She mumbled as she followed the man down the hall and back into the exam room. He pointed to the table and told her to have a seat and that the doctor would be with her shortly. After a few minutes of re-reading the same posters, Elisa was getting bored again.

She was about ready to leave when the doctor walked in, "Sorry to keep you waiting, I wanted to review your blood work before I came down…" The woman reached out to shake Elisa's hand, "I'm Dr. Parson."

Elisa shook her hand briefly and continued to look about the room, making it clear this was not where she wanted to be.

She stood in front of Elisa and flipped through the chart, "Impressive medical history…"

"Hey, I'm a cop… these things happen…" Elisa murmured.

"Really…" She set down the chart and placed her stethoscope to Elisa's chest, "Take a deep breath…" 

Elisa did as requested and after Dr. Parson was finished she gave Elisa a questioning glance, "How may other officers do you know that have medical records as thick as yours?" 

The glare caused Dr. Parson to take an involuntary step back. It was pretty clear to the physician that Detective Maza had no intention of answering any questions outside the realm of the physical so she decided it was best to let it slide for the time being. 

"How are you feeling today?" she inquired while trying to check Elisa's eyes.

Elisa blinked in response to the light being flashed in her eyes and pulled back from the doctor, "You're the Doc. You tell me how I'm feeling…"

Dr. Parson gave her a questioning look but said nothing, instead she picked up the chart and began scribbling notes, "Well Detective, you seem to be in excellent health all things considered. You're blood pressure is a bit elevated but I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about at this stage. I'm giving you a prescription that should help with any nausea but I imagine you should come through this with no complications…I would like to see you again in about a week…"

Elisa quickly cut her off, "Why?" she hopped off the table and moved to look at what the woman was writing, "What are you talking about? What's the prescription for? What nausea?"

She looked at Elisa in shock, "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

***** ***** *****

Goliath was stunned, "You're what?"

Elisa sat on the edge of one of the battle mounts on Castle Wyvern, "I'm pregnant…"

He walked over to her slowly, "How did this happen?" Elisa gave him a raised eyebrow and he quickly rephrased the question, "What I mean to say is, when did this happen?"

"Well… the Doc thinks I'm probably about two and a half months along…" She hopped off the wall and turned out to face the city, sighing heavily as she did, "but I know that's not possible…"

"How so?" Goliath questioned.

"Well common sense and a calendar for one." She turned to face him, "Between my job, your patrols, and the fact we have had about fifteen seconds of free time together in the past few months… the only time we were together was six weeks ago." She ran her hands through her thick sable hair, "It's the only time we could have…"

"And you are certain?" he inquired.

Elisa was a bit irritated by the question but didn't really have the mindset to get into it. "Yeah," she replied softly, "Hell, she was surprised I didn't know already…" She let her shoulder slump, "This can't be happening…"

He walked over to her, "Elisa, this is…"

"I know… not the best thing to have happen right now…"

Goliath quickly moved over and pulled her into his embrace, "No! This is wonderful!" When she was slow to respond to his actions he looked down at her with a broad smile on his face, "This is the most wonderful thing to happen…"

She pushed him back sharply, "Are you crazy?" She took several steps away from him, "Big Guy, do you just not see the problem here?"

"No…you and I are going to have a child… together…" 

"You can't be serious about this!?" Elisa could see Goliath was clearly taken back by her outburst, which made her believe he was not seeing the big picture, "How am I supposed to do this? Its not like I can just go to the hospital and say 'Here I am, and by the way, the father is a Gargoyle so you might want to duck when the kid comes flying out.' Goliath…"

He moved back to her slowly and rested a large talon hand on her shoulder, "My Love… that does not matter…"

"Yes it does…" Elisa took a small step away from him, "It matters a lot…"

***** ***** *****

David Xanatos and Owen Burnett watched the couple on the closed circuit TV. Xanatos glanced over at his right hand man, "Well Owen what do you think?"

Owen pondered the question, "I would say it would be in 'everyone's' best interest to do something to help them, Sir."

Xanatos smiled slightly and rubbed his fingers over his goatee, "Yes… It would be in 'everyone's' best interest… wouldn't it…"

***** ***** *****

Matt stood with his mouth hanging open, "You're what?" 

The others were equally shocked but it was Hudson who was the first to speak on behalf of the clan, "'Tis wonderful news, Lass!"

Elisa was far from sharing in the joy he was expressing, "Maybe I didn't make myself clear…"

Matt finally got his mouth and mind working enough to respond, "No… No, I think you were pretty clear…"

Broadway was equally excited, "Hey this means we're gonna have a real clan again!" 

Lexington chipped in, "Broadway's right, this is great!"

"I think you're missing the point…" Elisa started again.

Brooklyn clasped Goliath firmly on the arm, "Way to go Goliath!" 

The others were quickly moving in to offer their congratulations when Elisa yelled out, "Will you all listen to me for just a damn minute!" They all jumped in surprise but stopped speaking long enough to focus back on her. 

"Did it just not occur to anyone that I might not be able to do this?" she walked away from the group. "I don't know that I can do this… or if this is even going to happen at all…" 

The Clan members stood in stunned silence, now realizing what it was she was saying. Nothing like this had ever happened and the implications were just now setting in. Goliath could feel the turmoil building within her. 

"Elisa…" he moved over to her and pulled her into his embrace. She didn't push him away this time, instead she leaned into him and for the first time allowed him to hold and comfort her. 

Xanatos took the momentary lull in conversation to make his entrance with Owen and Fox right behind him, "Good evening everyone, I understand congratulations are in order." 

He walked around handing out cigars to the members of the clan. He stopped in front of Goliath and stuck the cigar in his mouth and then turned to Elisa, "I'd offer one to you, but I doubt it would be good for the baby…" he placed a hand on her stomach, patting it lightly. 

Xanatos was prevented from further actions when Elisa shoved back from Goliath and in the same movement sucker punched him in the ribs. He bent over trying to get his breath, "Ooof…" 

"Stand up pretty boy…" she balled a fist and struck him again, causing them both to yell out in pain. Xanatos was surprised to find himself sitting on the floor holding not only his ribs, but the side of his head as well. 

Elisa was shaking her hand in agony, "No wonder your such an idiot Xanatos… Your skull is like a brick…."

Fox forced back a smile and moved to her husband. She lifted his head slightly and could see the angry red mark on his temple and knew the bruise would be soon to follow. She gently helped him to his feet, "You certainly have a way with women David…"

Xanatos rubbed the side of his head thoughtfully, "I might have had that coming, but I must admit Detective Maza, if I had known you packed such a punch I would have tried sparing with you rather than Owen all these years." 

Elisa momentarily forgot the pain in her hand and was now working on blind rage, "Get out of the way Fox, I'm gonna kick his ass…" Fox stepped back as Elisa lashed out at Xanatos again catching him again in the ribs and he promptly went back down to the floor.

She was about to smack him again when Goliath finally got a hold of her, "Elisa… stop it…" 

Elisa was struggling with him to get a Xanatos. In an effort to prevent her from pummeling the man, Goliath had to physically pick her up and move her over to the other side of the room. Matt moved over to hold her back with some assistance from Angela.

Elisa was still livid, "Get out of here Xanatos!" 

Goliath turned slightly and gave Xanatos a harsh look, "It would seem your presence is not welcome…"

Xanatos finally got enough of his breath back to speak, "On the contrary…" He rubbed his ribs ruefully and looked over at the still highly irate woman being held at bay, "We can only hope the Maza temper is a recessive gene…" 

Goliath gave him a harsh expression and for once Xanatos took the unspoken advice. Instead of responding to the look, he nodded slightly to Owen.

Owen walked over and stood between the two groups, "Mr. Xanatos is ready to provide all the necessary equipment and physicians to ensure the child is brought into the world safely…"

Goliath's eyes went to tightly formed slits, "What do you hope to gain by making such an offer?"

Xanatos rubbed the side of his head where Elisa had struck him absently, "I only wish to help…"

"Oh yeah right." Elisa lunged at Xanatos again as Matt and Angela struggled to hold her back, "Just like you tried to help Derek…" 

Owen continued despite the repeated outbursts, "The research facility in the Labyrinth is still functional and…"

At the mention of the home of the Mutates, Elisa felt her temper flame to a new level, "Screw you! After all the hell you've put everyone through… There is no way you are getting your hands on any more members of my family!"

Goliath turned and looked at her, it was the first time since she told him she was pregnant she'd made any indication there even would be other members of the Maza family. In fact the words were such a shock to everyone that Matt and Angela inadvertently let her go. Elisa took advantage of the momentary loss of control and lunged at Xanatos. Goliath caught her in mid leap and held her to him, hoping her anger would subside soon.

Xanatos quickly sidestepped the now aborted attack, "I've tired to kept the facility running in the event someone might 'need' use of it… although I rather expected it to be Talon and Maggie Reed. It would seem you two beat them to the punch, so to speak." 

He walked over to the couple, "Now I could suggest that you have no choice, but the fact is you do have other options…" 

Xanatos held Elisa's gaze long enough to ensure she understood what he was saying and from the look he got he felt he had her answer. "But since it doesn't appear you want to take that route…" He slowly brought his eyes around to Goliath. "The decision has to be yours, but I want you to know I am sincere in my offer to you and Detective Maza." 

He held out his hand to Elisa, "It's time we put the past behind us and look to the future."

Elisa relaxed slightly in Goliath's embrace and he took it to mean she had finally calmed down enough to discuss this rationally. He released his grip on her and she composed herself slightly, pulling her jacket back around her and running her fingers through long sable hair. She turned slightly to Xanatos and took his hand, "You're right…" 

The instant Xanatos took her hand, he saw her eyes flash with renewed anger, and knew he was in trouble. She gripped his hand firmly and pulled him to her forcing him off balance. At the same moment she braced herself and brought her knee up giving him a firm blow on the outside portion of his thigh. The pain combined with the force of the strike caused him to drop to the floor in a heap, unable to move.

Elisa looked down at him, "You do have this coming…" she was about to kick him when Goliath decided this had gone on long enough. He picked Elisa up and stormed out of the Great Hall with a somewhat bemused expression on his face. 

Owen and Fox moved in to help Xanatos to his feet. He shad his teeth clinched together in pain, "I cannot believe I let her con me like that…" he gasped.

Angela gave him a skeptical look, "From my position, it didn't look like you 'let' her do anything…"

Xanatos gave her a scowling glare, but had enough sense to keep his mouth shut when Broadway allowed a soft growl to escape. Fox had to force herself not to laugh at her husband as she and Owen walked him to the back of the Great Hall. 

Elisa Maza was right, David did have it coming and she was surprised it had taken her this long to do anything about it.

***** ***** *****

Elisa and Goliath stood looking out over the city. She stood with her back against him as he held her in a loose hug allowing her to move slightly but making it clear she was not going back into the castle. She seemed to calm once she was away from Xanatos.

"That could have gone better…" Goliath replied softly.

"There is no way I'm going to apologize to him…"

"I would be the last to expect you to do so, Elisa…"

"You know he had it coming…" 

She knew she was trying to justify her actions, but it wasn't anger that had spurned the outburst, it was fear. Considering what she had found out in the last 12 hours, her lashing out could have easily been at anyone, Xanatos just proved to be an easy target. She over her shoulder at Goliath, "Big Guy, I'm not gonna lie to you… this is gonna be a problem…"

He looked away for a moment, "It is something we never discussed…"

She took a few steps forward to lean against the ledge of the castle, "Yeah, well it never occurred to me that it would be an issue, otherwise, I might have done something to prevent it from becoming one…" 

As soon as she said the words she wasn't entirely sure she meant them. All her life, she knew she wanted to be a cop and nothing more. The day she received her shield was the happiest day of her life and she could think of few things which had brought her as much joy. 

The thought of baby diapers and formula all over her apartment, midnight feedings, car pooling to the Girl Scouts… giving up her life as a cop… She felt a sudden tightening in her chest and found breathing was becoming difficult. Children had never entered her mind… but then again, neither had Goliath. 

Xanatos had hinted there was another option. While she was no supporter of the pro-life or pro-choice standpoint, in her mind there really was only one choice... She gazed back at Goliath. She knew she loved him and would do what ever it took to be with him, keep him safe, and have some semblance of a normal life. 

The question was, did a normal life for them include children? A brief image jumped into her mind of Goliath sitting in an overstuffed chair bouncing an infant on his lap. The mental picture made her smile and the longer she held on to the notion… the more she liked it.

She finally turned to face Goliath. He had his head down and looked despondent and she knew he was thinking of her earlier words. She quickly realized he assumed she regretted what had happened between them and not without good reason, since she'd all but said it was a mistake. 

For the first time she realized she did want this and knew she needed to let him know.

"And another thing, I resent Xanatos thinking he can just waltz in and have any say in how our kid is gonna come into the world."

Goliath felt like his heart would burst from his chest and pulled her tightly to him, reveling in the words she spoke. She hugged him tightly in return and felt the outpouring of love from him as he capped his wings about them, shutting out the world. They stood this way for an extended minute and finally Elisa spoke, "You realize I'm probably going to screw this whole 'parenting' thing up…"

Goliath kissed the top of her head, "I'm sure we both will… from time to time… My only experience stems from Angela… and even that has been limited…"

She leaned back and looked at him, "Goliath we are not the text book example of parents…"

He thought about her statement and took a deep breath before answering, "Xanatos and Fox seem to do fine…"

"And this doesn't worry you?"

Goliath smiled as he held her, "No… as long as you have no regrets…" he said softly.

She reached up to trace his brow and face, "This is something I never knew I wanted… until now."

Goliath was silent as he held her, feeling the beat of her heart against his body. When he finally did speak, his voice held the slightest tremble, "Elisa, you understand we may have to allow him to help us…"

Xanatos… she still didn't care for him being involved but also realized Goliath was probably right, "Aye…" she said neutrally and Goliath smiled at her choice of words, "But it doesn't mean I have to like it…"

"Nor do I," He looked down at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "But it would seem…"

"Oh no…" Elisa groaned.

"What?"

"I just realized… I'm gonna have to tell my parents…"

***** ***** *****

Two days later, the Great Hall was crowed to say the least. Peter and Diane Maza had just arrived along with Derek and Maggie. Elisa felt it was best not to have the Clones present just yet. It was going to be a big enough shock for her parents to discover she was pregnant without finding out there was a clone of her out there as well, so Claw stayed behind with them in the Labyrinth. 

For the time being, immediate family was she wanted to hit with the news and thought it best if everyone found out at the same time. She hoped it would lead to fewer questions later on down the road. 

She asked Matt to be present for the announcement, and despite his objections, she finally won by shear volume of argument and the fact that Goliath's insistence made it hard to say no. 

"I still don't see why I have to be here for this…" he murmured to Elisa. "I got one night off this week and this was not how I planned on spending it…" 

Fox happened to overhear him and whispered, "Come on, everyone is going to assume the kid is yours. How's it gonna look if people think you bailed out on the girl you knocked up?"

Goliath shot Fox a look of annoyance as Elisa reached over to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder letting him know not to take it too personally. She knew who the true father was, but the fact was what Fox said was true, a lot of people were going to assume it was Matt's. For all this to work they were going to have to play the game, if only for sake of appearances.

Goliath was shifting around uncomfortably. Elisa was amused by his nervousness, he'd met both her parents before and for a minute she couldn't figure out what his problem was. Then it hit her, this was the first time he'd ever had to tell someone they were about to become grandparents. 

Diane Maza rushed over and hugged her, "Elisa… Where have you been? I've been calling you for days… What's going on?" 

Peter Maza gave her a tilted grin as he noticed the healing area where Angela had removed the stitches the night before, "What happened to your head?"

"I'll explain that later Dad…" Elisa smiled and took her mother and father by the hand, "Right now, I think you both might want to sit down…" 

Brooklyn showed them to the couch and they sat down looking at her expectantly. Elisa took a deep breath, no sense in sugar coating it, "I'm pregnant…"

Her father was the first to react, "Your what?"

Goliath stood off to the side not saying a word, Elisa still hadn't told them everything, and this was clearly going to be something they needed to hear in small doses. 

They took it a lot better than Elisa would have given them credit for, her mother was stunned into silence and her father shook his head in disbelief, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah…" Elisa replied. 

Her parents both turned to look at Matt, who subsequently choked on the cracker he was eating, "Whoa… Don't look at me…"

Peter looked back at his daughter but felt his gaze being pulled in direction of David Xanatos. He had noticed the healing bruise on the side of Xanatos' head and the idea of some type of affair between his daughter and this man forced him to ask his next question very cautiously, "Well then who?" 

Goliath noticed the direction Peter Maza was looking in and not liking what he saw, walked over and placed a talon hand on Elisa's shoulder. Neither said a word but the implications were pretty clear. 

Peter looked at them in disbelief. "You're kidding…" he gasped out. 

Elisa shifted slightly, "No Dad, I'm not…"

Diane started to rise and then thought better of it. Lexington moved in and handed her a glass of water, which she accepted without even thinking twice about it. In the last two years, gargoyles and mutates had somehow become the norm. Considering everything thing else that had happened to their family, this was probably par for the course, but it still wasn't easy to take in. "Elisa… you cannot be serious about this…"

"I am." She took Goliath's talon in her hand. "We both are…"

"Ma…" Derek spoke from the other side of the room, "I think you need to…"

"Derek stay out of this, I'm talking to your sister." She continued to look at her daughter, "Have you both thought about what you're doing?"

"I think it's a little late for that…" Derek muttered.

Peter Maza turned to glare at his son, "Derek Maza that will be enough out of you!"

Derek understood he might be 'Talon' in the eyes of the others but he was also 'Derek Maza' and that meant he knew better than to argue with his father. He held up his hands in a sign of surrender and remained silent. 

Diane rose from the couch and walked over to her daughter, "I'm just saying you know how much trouble your father and I had being an interracial couple, and I'm just concerned with how people will react to an inter… species… child…"

Goliath walked over and placed a talon hand on Diane's shoulder, "I assure you, no child will be more welcome and cherished in the world than the one Elisa carries right now. It is not a matter of species… but of love."

Diane looked into his eyes and knew the words he spoke were strong and true. "Well… I guess I'd better get used to the idea that two of my three children are not going to have normal relationships…" 

Goliath flinched slightly at the words and Diane quickly amended the statement, "Of course they never were one for the traditional…" She glanced over at where her son stood with Maggie and smiled before returning her attention to her daughter, "How far along are you?"

Elisa ran her fingers uneasily through her hair, she knew this part of the conversation was coming and had hopped she could delay it until later, "Ya know Mom, that's a good question…"

Peter shot up from his chair and gave his daughter an incredulous look, "You mean to tell us you're not sure how far along you are?"

"Dad… it's kinda complicated." she looked to Goliath and realized he was not about to offer any help in this area, "The Doctor said 2 and ½ months but we think it's probably closer to six weeks…"

"How on earth can there be this big a discrepancy?" Peter turned to face Goliath, "This might all be a mistake…"

Xanatos walked over to him, "Actually it's not a matter of a discrepancy, rather one of physical growth." 

Everyone, including Elisa and Goliath, looked at him like he'd grown a third head. No one had the faintest idea what he was talking about as he turned and introduced the woman walking in with Owen. 

"May I introduce you to Doctor Rachel Silver. Not only is she a brilliant geneticist but an accomplished OB/GYN. She'll be working closely with your daughter and Goliath for the next few months." 

Dr. Silver introduced herself to each member of the group and shook their respective claw, talon, or hand depending on whom she was meeting at the time. She seemed quite impressed with Derek and Maggie and was inquisitive but not overly so. She asked polite questions and chatted with everyone briefly about matters that had nothing to do with what was going on. 

Elisa observed the woman with a certain amount of cynicism. Xanatos had told Elisa he would be bringing in a 'specialist' but the woman was nothing like she expected. She was in her late forties, with slightly graying hair, a delicate British accent, and roughly her height with a slender build. Elisa thought she looked like and older version of Maria Chavez and she suspected Xanatos had picked her because of the resemblance and assumed it would make things easier for them. The fact was it did the exact opposite as far as Elisa was concerned.

She finally walked over to Goliath and Elisa and gave them both a firm handshake, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Mr. Xanatos has told me so much about you both."

"I bet he has..." Elisa checked her next statement when Goliath gave her a soft nudge. Now was not the time to get into this argument again.

Dr. Silver looked at Elisa, "I understand your feelings on the matter, and I assure you, I am here to help, not experiment... I wont do anything without fully explaining what I'm doing first and the results of any tests will not be given to anyone but the two of you. You have my word on that." 

Elisa knew she had little choice but to accept the woman at her word, but she still didn't let her guard down, "Why did Xanatos pick you?"

"I'm familiar with the work completed by Anton Sevarius, but I believe the reasons have more to do with the fact that I was the one who told Fox she was pregnant and I assisted in the birth of Alexander." Elisa seemed to accept the answer so Dr. Silver continued, "I know you have company and everyone has questions but I'd like to get started as soon as possible." 

"Fine… What's the game plan?" 

"Come with me and well get started…" Dr. Silver turned to Goliath and smiled, "Of course I imagine, you'll want to be there as well."

Elisa grinned sheepishly at Goliath, it was almost like being in a regular hospital. Dr. Silver made no indication she disapproved of the situation and was treating Goliath as any doctor might treat an expectant father. Elisa felt herself relax slightly. 

Maybe Dr. Silver hadn't been around Xanatos long enough to become corrupted by his mind set…

Maybe the woman did indeed have their best interest at heart… 

Maybe…

***** ***** *****

Dr. Silver directed everyone to a seat, "I know you all have a lot of questions so I'm going to do my best to answer them fully. First let me tell you what I do know right now." She looked at Hudson, "I understand you are the Elder of the Clan…"

Hudson nodded, "Aye Lass, that would be me…"

Dr. Silver smiled at him, "I may to need to work with you on some of the finer points, so please correct me if I've missed anything important." She continued on, "I've examined Elisa and pulled her records from the city and reviewed them as well. I have also reviewed the records complied by Dr. Sevarius on the gargoyles. 

"First off, I have no way to explain how this all happened. All the information I have states that Humans and Gargoyles should be incompatible in terms of reproduction." 

Hudson burrowed his brow in concern, "Sorcery…"

Owen bristled at the comment, "I assure you, I nor young Alexander had anything to do with this."

Elisa noticed her mother looking at Owen strangely and figured the stone hand probably had something to do with it. Not wanting to get into that discussion any further than needed, she quickly changed the subject, "How about we concentrate on what we do know for the time being…" 

"Agreed." Dr. Sliver turned slight to Goliath and Elisa, "By all accounts Elisa, you are physically three months pregnant, with conception around six weeks ago. It appears this will not be a strictly human or gargoyle birth, rather it will be a mixture of the two." 

"So I wont be having an egg?" Elisa inquired.

"An egg?" Diane Maza seemed surprised by the question and thought it strange that Dr. Silver seemed to accept it as a perfectly normal one.

"No… but the ultrasound we did shows there is a membrane surrounding the fetus which indicates some type of shell might be involved."

"How's it supposed to be hatched without an egg…?" Broadway asked.

"Hatched?!" Peter Maza cried out.

Elisa leaned over to him, "I'll explain it to ya later Dad…"

Dr. Silver continued, "As I was saying this appears to be a mixture of the two species. Development of the fetus might become a factor later on down the road, but I expect a normal human birthing process in that aspect."

Derek stood up, "This is all fine and dandy but where exactly will she be having this kid? I mean it's not like she'll able to just waltz into the local hospital…"

Elisa looked at her brother tentatively, "The research facility… in the Labyrinth."

"No way, we sealed it off months ago…" he looked over at his big sister and gave her a rather lopsided grin, "But… I guess we'll be unsealing it this week…"

Xanatos interjected, "I can provide crews for the clearing…"

"No!" Derek realized he had voiced his objection a bit louder than planned and had to force his voice back down to an acceptable level, "We'll clear it and bring down any additional equipment. We've changed the entrances and would like to keep 'outside' influence to a minimum. A lot of people depend on the safety of the Labyrinth and I intend to keep it that way."

Xanatos nodded slightly at the mutate leader. He understood 'outside' influence meant him, and he couldn't fault the man for not wanting him around. He had much to atone for as far as the Maza family was concerned.

Diane threw her arms around Elisa and had to stretch to include Goliath as well, "My baby is going to have a baby…" she was crying again.

"Mom please…"

Peter rose and clapped a hand on Goliath's shoulder, "I just want to know one thing…"

Goliath rose to his full height and looked down at the father of his love. Never had one man made him feel so small, "Yes…?"

"When we met last year in Arizona, was that your way of asking to date my daughter? Because if it was, I don't ever remember giving my permission… and about this egg hatching thing…"

Diane pulled at her husband, "Peter please…"

Goliath let loose with a mighty laugh and soon the others were joining in. Angela was now beginning to feel the excitement of knowing she was about to have a sibling, "So when is the baby due?" It was the only question yet to be asked.

Dr. Silver checked her charts, "As I said before, it will be a split between the two species. Standard Gargoyle gestation is six months and human is nine. I should be able to do another ultrasound in a few weeks and that will tell us more. If things progress as they have, you'll have a bouncing baby in about three and a half months… give or take a week or two."

Matt spoke softly, "Three and half months…" 

Something in his voice made Elisa look over at him, "Sorry partner, but I refuse to carry it any longer than I have too…"

"No, I'm just thinking… we're gonna have to tell Chavez… Like tomorrow…"

Elisa felt all the wind come out of her sails, "She's gonna flip…"

***** ***** *****

Maria Chavez leaned forward slightly, "You're what?

Elisa shook her head slightly, wondering why this statement tended to be the first thing out of people's mouth when she told them the news. "I'm pregnant…" she repeated. 

"Since when?" 

Elisa shifted slightly in the chair, "Since a few days ago…"

"The physicals… That's why you didn't want to go."

"No… That's… kinda when I found out."

Captain Chavez appraised the woman who sat before her, "How far along are you?"

"About three months…"

"Three months?!" Captain Chavez was more than surprised by the statement, "Is this a good thing?" she inquired.

Elisa felt a smile spread across her face, "Yeah… it is…"

Chavez leaned back in her chair again, "Do I dare ask about the father?" Elisa didn't answer as she looked away and shifted around in her chair. It almost seemed as if a dark cloud passed over her face. Chavez had serious doubts but asked the question everyone else was going to ask, "Bluestone?" 

Elisa shifted her eyes back to her boss, she didn't exactly look at her but she didn't look away either. She didn't want to lie but the truth wasn't an option. Since many people within the department assumed she and Matt were an item, he said he was willing to play along, but Elisa still felt uncomfortable about telling people Matt was the father. It was bound to lead to more problems down the road, so she said nothing.

Maria Chavez took her silence as a conformation, "Jesus, Elisa… do you realize…" She quickly changed her train of thought for the time being and shook her head, "How is the future papa taking this?"

Elisa perked up at the question, "He's very excited." It wasn't a lie. The father was excited, Matt wasn't too thrilled but then that wasn't the question.

"So where is he?"

Elisa was about to admit she had no idea when Matt burst into the office, "Sorry I'm late…"

"Save the excuses, Bluestone, I know you don't have a good one so I'll save you the trouble of making up a bad one…" Chavez regarded him gravely, "I understand congratulations are in order…"

Matt looked confused for a second, "What congrad…?" he looked at Elisa and realized she must have told her already, "Oh… yeah…right… congratulations..." 

Elisa glanced back at Matt. He looked positively green, and she wondered if he'd make it through the meeting without passing out. He sat down next to her and squeezed her hand, "I'm very excited…" 

"I'm sure you are…" Captain Chavez noticed he had used the exact same words Elisa had used. She also couldn't help but notice Elisa shifting around in her chair again. Either the two of them were playing footies behind the desk or Elisa was kicking her partner. 

She leaned over and retrieved a manual from the bookshelf behind her. She flipped through it until she found what she was looking for, "You both are well aware of the Department's policy on partners becoming involved with each other." 

Matt stiffened slightly, "Yeah… Yeah, we know it…"

"Then you understand I have no choice but to split the two of you up."

Elisa knew this was coming. With the exception of her brief time with Jason Canmore, Matt was the first and only person she'd worked with since becoming a detective and, as much as she fought it in the beginning, it hurt to see the partnership being pulled apart, "I know…" she said softly.

Chavez checked the list, mumbling as she scanned the names of officers and detectives assigned to the 23rd, "I'll have to check with Department Personnel and see if we can't get another detective sent over… Damn… this is gonna take some time…" 

She finally looked back up at them, "Well, I doubt there's much we can do about this now, but one thing we can't avoid is moving you move to a desk job until after the baby is born, Elisa. You start day shift in the morning."

Matt sat up in his chair slightly, his shin still aching slightly from where Elisa had kicked him, "Ah, would it be possible for her to stay on nights?"

Chavez looked up, "Why? I would think it would be better if she was on days…"

Elisa chimed in "Actually nights are better…"

"Yeah…" Matt sat up a bit straighter, "Most of her appointments are in the evening… and I'd like to be there for them…" 

It was a lame excuse at best, but it was the only one they could think of that made enough sense. For everyone to believe the ruse, Matt had to play the part of the expectant father. Since all the 'appointments' were going to be at night, it would look funny if Elisa went and he didn't. 

It wasn't like he was really going to have to do much since Goliath wanted to participate in as much of the birthing process as possible, and it went without saying that the clan leader wanted to be present for anything Dr. Silver might do to Elisa. 

Chavez looked at the two of them, "Well there is nothing indicating it can't be done that way… Fine Maza, you stay on nights. Bluestone, since the GTF is off line I'm moving you to Vice until I can get someone assigned…"

Matt cut her off, "That wont be necessary…"

Chavez looked up at him, "Bluestone, there is no way are you working without a partner."

"No, I mean I'll work a desk… until a replacement can be sent over." 

Elisa looked at him in shock, this was not part of their plan.

Captain Chavez gave him an equally shocked expression, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah… I'm sure… Besides you know how Elisa is with paperwork… someone needs to make sure she fills in all the blanks, and I wouldn't want one of the Police Aids to get saddled with correcting all her typos."

Chavez cocked an eye at him and tried to recall the last time a detective volunteered for desk duty and came up with a complete blank. "Fine, until the paperwork clears, you're both driving a desk." They continued going through several other administrative matters, and then she dismissed the pair. 

As they walked out the door, she realized that by putting them both on a desk, she'd inadvertently left them as partners. 

She checked her files again and wondered how much effort she should put into getting another detective assigned to the 23rd. Ultimately, she put the request at the bottom of the stack since she wasn't a hundred percent certain it would be a valid request. 

How much stock could she put into the statement that Matt Bluestone was the father of Elisa Maza's child… and if he wasn't, how much longer, and further, was this little charade was going to go?

***** ***** *****

"What made you ask Chavez to do that?"

Matt looked over at Elisa, "What?"

"To move you to a desk…?"

Matt moved to lift his mug from the peg board behind the coffee pot, "Come on, you know you suck at paperwork…"

Elisa grabbed his arm, "No… That's not it…Come on, fess up."

"Are you kidding? What do you think would happen if 'someone' found out I left you alone? No way I'm getting my arm ripped off for that. Besides, someone needs to keep an eye on you and I doubt you want him sitting out side the building all night…" 

***** ***** *****

"Matt I hate this desk shit…"

"Quit complaining…"

"I hate paperwork…"

"Elisa we've been doing this for 2 days. You'd better quit complaining or the next few months are really gonna suck for both of us…"

***** ***** *****

"Why would Matt assume I would be sitting outside the station?"

"You don't really expect me to answer that do you, Big Guy?"

***** ***** *****

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You can't expect to wear jeans much longer…"

Elisa cringed and tossed the maternity smock back over to Fox, "Ahhh… no…There is no way am I wearing that."

***** ***** *****

Brooklyn carried the box down to the Labyrinth, "Wouldn't it make more sense to take this to Elisa's apartment, or even to the castle? You know Goliath is gonna want her and the baby there once they're ready…"

Derek looked at him over the box he was carrying, "Don't get me started…"

His mother looked up as they walked into what was now known as the 'Baby Room', "Oh good you're here. Just set them down over there and I'll unpack them later…"

Peter Maza walked into the room behind them with yet another box, "Diane, really. This is getting out of control…"

***** ***** *****

Dr. Silver ran the ultrasound over Elisa's stomach, "Well, it looks like the shell is formed but not solid so I imagine we won't have any problems with the birth."

Goliath peered at the monitor, "And this is… Elisa…"

Elisa smiled, even after all they had been through she was still amazed that the things she took granted was very new and strange to him. "Yeah, that's me from the inside out…"

"What is it?" he inquired, pointing to the image on the screen.

"It's a puppy." He gave her a startled look, and Elisa knew he was taking her teasing a bit too seriously, "That's our kid, Big Guy. What did you think it was?"

He smiled and gazed over at his love, "I realize that, what I was asking is it a boy or a girl?"

"Ah, sorry…" Elisa looked at Dr. Silver, "Can you tell yet?"

The geneticist looked at the screen for several minutes, "No, not yet, and the blood tests are inconclusive. We'll try again next week…"

They watched the monitor together until the shape inside shifted around, causing Elisa to gasp out. Their baby moved for the first time and she felt it as well as saw it. She took Goliath's talon and placed it on the side of her stomach. The look on his face was priceless as he felt the movement.

Dr. Silver pulled a stethoscope from a drawer. She placed it in her ears and held it to Elisa's stomach, "Would you like to hear the heart beat?"

Goliath nodded absently, "No…" he still had his talons resting on Elisa's stomach.

Dr. Silver was taken back by his words, "Why not?"

When he didn't answer Elisa had a flash of insight, _I'll be damned… he really can feel it…_

In the past, the Clan cared for children collectively and equally, with no 'hatchling' receiving more attention than another did. Despite that earlier mindset, Goliath found himself changing drastically in his attitude about offspring. Granted he and Angela had finally formed a Father/Daughter bond on some level, but this was the first time he had taken an active part of the process from the beginning.

Much to Elisa's chagrin, Goliath had begun referring to her pregnancy as 'carrying an egg,' and was taking great care in explaining to her what gargoyles experience during the Breeding Season. For Gargoyles was more about the connection between mates and both of them were beginning to believe this was shaping up to be more of a gargoyle situation than human with one notable exception: 

Goliath knew this was his 'Egg' and it would seem he was bonding with it. 

For the past few weeks, Goliath had become intently aware of the changes in Elisa and the baby. It was an awe inspiring feeling for him and it gave both of them opportunity to experience the development of their child on a level that went beyond the pregnancy itself.

It was something they forbade Hudson from telling Dr. Sliver or anyone else about, and Hudson agreed with them. Despite the Dr.'s assurances, there were a few things they all felt didn't need to get back to David Xanatos.

***** ***** *****

"Matt, I'm telling you, I really hate this…"

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm telling you if you don't quit complaining…"

"I'm getting sores on my butt from sitting here…"

"I don't want to hear this…"

"Come on, let's go run some search warrants… no one will even know we're gone."

"Sit…"

"How about I write a traffic ticket?"

Matt rubbed his head absently, "Two and a half months… There is no way I'm gonna make it…" 

***** ***** *****

Maggie Reed looked around the room with a mused look on her face. While she had a great affection for Derek and his family, his mother was spending more time in the Labyrinth than those who actually lived there. 

Angela and Broadway were busily organizing the room within the labyrinth. Once Elisa's due date was closer, she would be moving down and Goliath would leave the castle temporarily to stay with her and the baby. They wanted everything to be ready well ahead of time.

Angela held up a small object and looked at it closely, "What in Oberon's Name is this?"

Diane walked over, "That is a breast pump… Elisa will probably need it after the baby arrives."

Broadway walked over and took it from Angela to examine it, "Why would Elisa need a pump?"

Maggie retrieved it from him, not sure if now was a good time to try and explain breast feeding to him, "Another time Broadway…"

Diane looked about the room, "Well I think it's done…"

Maggie gazed over the room, "It looks good…" there was the slightest twinge in her voice as she spoke.

Derek walked over to his mother, "Mom, you have got to quit bringing things down here. Elisa's gonna be here for like a week and you're acting like she's moving down here for life. You know all this junk is gonna have to be moved again…"

"Hush, Derek," Diane walked over and placed a hand on her 'daughter-in-law's' shoulder, "One day we'll be doing the same thing for you and Maggie."

"Oh great…" he walked over and took his mate's hand in his giving it a reassuring squeeze, "We can't wait…"

***** ***** *****

"Damn…" she muttered, "I can't believe this…" 

Elisa struggled with the zipper of her bomber jacket and involuntary looked over at the maternity smock that lay of the back of the couch. She hadn't touched it since getting it from Fox several weeks ago.

She walked over and picked it up examining it for a moment, "No way… there has got to be something better…" 

***** ***** *****

"Hey Goliath…"

"No Lexington, Alexander is your responsibility. You change him…"

***** ***** *****

Elisa drove through the city, rubbing her eyes as she did. Traffic was light for this time of morning but she gripped the wheel as if it was bumper to bumper. She was in the mist of a conversation she really didn't want to be having at the moment, "Mom, we've been over this a hundred times…"

"I really don't understand why you won't let me come to the appointments…"

"It's nothing personal…"

"I just want you to know I'm supporting you both in this."

"We know Mom. It's just that there is so much stuff in that room right now, Goliath can barely fit in much less anyone else…"

***** ***** *****

"Fox, dear. Would you like to explain this?"

"Not really, David."

"Two hundred dollars for maternity jeans?"

"They were a gift…"

***** ***** *****

Derek thought he was about to loose his mind, "What do you mean we have to haul this stuff back over to the castle?"

***** ***** ****

"You never said if you want a girl or a boy."

"I would hope for a healthy child Xanatos."

"Goliath… no one wants a healthy baby… "

"I sincerely hope you did not have that mind set when Fox was pregnant with Alexander."

"Of course I did…"

***** ***** *****

"What is this?"

Broadway walked over to Goliath with a large sandwich in his grip, "I dunno… I think it's a pump. Diane said it was for Elisa…"

Goliath examined the item closer, trying to figure out why Elisa would need a pump.

***** ***** *****

Elisa was pacing the room, which by some 'strange' miracle appeared to have grown in size since the conversation with her mother a few days ago. "This is driving me nuts! I swear I'm gonna lose it…" 

Dr. Silver nodded, smiling slightly at her, "Well it's to be expected…So how are you feeling today?"

Elisa gave her a steely gaze that held no real anger, "Like I'm gonna kill something…"

Goliath for his part, said nothing. Maggie, Fox, Dr. Silver, and even Diane had told him Elisa might experience some mood swings due to the hormonal changes, so he knew better than to say anything when she was like this. He also knew where this was leading so he simply leaned back and watched his love blow off steam. 

Elisa glanced over to the corner where he was standing, "What are you smirking about?" She suddenly turned to Dr. Silver, "Could you give us a minute?"

Dr. Silver stood and gave Goliath a pitting look as if she knew what was about to happen, "I'll wait outside and you can let me know when you're ready to start…"

When she left, Elisa closed the door behind her and locked it. She turned around and moved quickly to Goliath, "OK, we have about ten minutes before someone comes banging on the door…" she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. 

Goliath held her tightly as the wave of emotions flowed over him, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Elisa gave him a smug look, "Hey, I'll take whatever I can get…"

He smiled at her as he lifted her on to the exam table, "Perhaps you should let Dr. Silver know this 'argument' may take longer than 'a minute'…"

Elisa felt herself swoon as Goliath began nuzzling softly at the nape of her neck, "Let her figure it out for herself…"

***** ***** *****

"So what do you think Dad?"

Peter rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well it's something to think about… Did you have someone particular in mind?"

Elisa smiled slightly, "Yeah… I do…"

***** ***** *****

"What the blazes is this?"

"Sorry Hudson, I guess Angela must have left that in there..."

Brooklyn walked over and took the tape out of the VCR trying to hide his smile as he tucked the child birth tape under his arm. They understood the concept of babies from growing up with humans early on, but none of them had taken the time to figure out exactly how it worked. They were all fascinated to see how humans came into the world and the tape went a long way in answering questions they were unable to get from Goliath or Elisa.

"Aye lad, ye best be tellin' her not to leave such things around like that…"

Brooklyn turned to leave, making every effort not to burst out laughing as he did, "We'll be more careful next time."

Hudson picked up the remote and began flipping through the channels. He knew how human children were 'hatched' and it puzzled him why someone would want or even need to record the event. Gargoyles had no need for such things, and it made him speculate if the event somehow slipped human minds as they got older. Perhaps he would visit Peter Maza later and ask him.

***** ***** *****

Elisa and Goliath walked over to where Matt was waiting. The car was parked in the shadows deep in the alley adjacent to the Labyrinth. He was reviewing some case files and had declined to go down to the Labyrinth, so he didn't notice their approach, "Hey partner…"

He looked up, "Hey Baby Lady… how did everything go?"

She edged down into the seat, her pregnancy was causing movement to become more awkward, but she was still capable of getting around. Goliath knelt down beside the car door, careful to remain in the shadows, "Elisa and the Egg are doing well." 

Elisa gave him a half-hearted glare but said nothing to him. Instead she turned to Matt and held up a cassette tape, "Here, I brought you a present." She inserted it into the tape deck, and soon the car was filled with a rapid, but soft thumping.

"What the hell is that?" Matt asked.

She smiled and handed him a small ultrasound photo, "That my friend, is the heartbeat of your 'son'…"

He held the photo up to the light and was stunned to the point of speechlessness. Despite not being able to see anything that indicated the shape was a male he took her word for it. He felt a lump building in the back of his throat, and even thought he knew the child was not his, he couldn't help but feel a certain connection, "A son…" 

Goliath's voice was deep coming from the dark, "We thought you'd like to be the first to know…"

Matt gave the clan leader a skeptical look, "I'm the first?"

Elisa interjected, "OK, you're like the fourth behind me, Goliath, and Dr. Silver. But yeah, you're the first we've actually told."

"Wow…Thanks…" he was truly touched.

Goliath leaned into the car slightly, "Gargoyle hatchlings are traditionally raised by the entire Clan; but this is not solely a child of the Clan but of both worlds. Elisa has told me of a human tradition much like ours… It is called…" he fought to recall the word she had used, "a godfather?"

Matt nodded absently, he was so engrossed in the picture and the sound of the baby's heartbeat that Elisa had to prod him slightly. "Earth to Bluestone…" 

"Hun? Oh yeah… I know it…"

Goliath held a talon hand out to him, "We would like you to be the… godfather to our son."

Matt almost dropped the picture, "Me? Why?"

Elisa looked at her partner, "Well, we figure he's gonna get a lot of influence from the guys, my family, Derek and his Clan… But I want him to have someone who will look out for him… someone connected to both sides." 

She paused for a moment before continuing, "Matt, you're practically family… and there is no one else in the world… we… trust more than you to have a say in the upbringing of our son…"

Matt felt a tear form in his eye and wiped at his face hastily. He was unable to get the words out so he simply nodded yes. Elisa gave him a sappy smile and even Goliath was giving him a strange, but favored look. He finally found his voice and shook Goliath's hand as Elisa put her own over theirs, sealing the pact, "Yeah… I'd consider it an honor…"

He handed the picture back to Elisa, but she declined to take it, "Nope that is for you. I thought you might want to show it off to the guys down at the station… You know… So you can gloat about your manhood and all that other macho crap you men take so much pride in."

Matt felt the lump returning, and for the first time he actually felt like a part of their…Clan. 

The three of them sat in the dark, listening to the sound of a new life that now was bound to them all.

***** ***** *****

"Have they picked out a name yet Owen?"

"Not to my knowledge…"

"You know 'David' is a fine name for a son…" 

"I'll pass that along, Sir…" 

***** ***** *****

The times they had to spend alone were few and far between so any chance they had, Elisa and Goliath took full advantage of the opportunity.

They stood on the balcony of her apartment looking out over the city. Elisa's thoughts were of the night so many months ago that brought them to this point and Goliath's thought were on the woman he held in his arms. She looked over her shoulder at the father of her child, "Can you feel him?"

Goliath took a deep breath, "Yes… his heart beats much the way yours does…" 

"This is so weird." 

Goliath smiled slightly, "It is strange… but then all of this is new. For both of us."

"I wish I could feel him the way you do…"

He turned her around to look in her eyes, "Elisa, you have the joy of feeling him grow inside you. That is the part I wish I could feel… It is so very different from what we experience with our offspring…"

"Well I don't think this is typical for humans either. I don't remember my dad ever saying he could feel our heartbeats without the benefit of a heart monitor or a stethoscope."

Goliath pulled her to him, "This is a first for our kind… the acknowledgement of children…" 

Elisa snuggled in his grasp, "Come on Big Guy, gargoyles are different than humans when it comes to kids…"

"I never knew Angela as a child… and it fills me with a longing for what I missed…"

"What counts is what you have now with your daughter. It will be no different with your son…"

"No this is different…"

Elisa knew he was thinking of his experience with Demona, and not wanting to dwell on a matter that might make him regret further what he didn't have before, she tried to change the subject in an offhanded way. "You know we still haven't picked out a name… any ideas?"

He took another deep breath, "I believe Xanatos thinks we should name him 'David'…" 

Elisa gave him a look meaning 'do you have any good ideas?' and he chucked, "I have given it some thought…"

Elisa leaned back into him, "Tell me…" He whispered a name into her ear and she smiled, "I think it's a great name. But I want to pick the middle name…"

"Why does he need two names?"

"Actually he'll have three… a first, middle, and last."

He shook his head in confusion, "This is becoming more complicated… perhaps you should explain how this all works again…" 

She turned in his embrace and wrapped her arms around his neck, "Goliath, we rarely get the chance to spend anytime together without somebody checking up on either me, you, or the baby… Do you really want to discuss how a birth certificate works again?"

"No… not really…" He leaned in and kissed her fiercely, and she smiled as he picked her up carefully and carried her back into the apartment. 

***** ***** *****

"What do you mean I'm the last to find out?" 

"Sorry lass, I thought they would have told ya already…"

Fox spun around, "Don't tell me you knew about this too?"

"Three days ago."

"Damn it, you're fired! You know that? You're fucking fired!" She turned and stormed out of the office.

Hudson turned and looked at David Xanatos, "Ya know lad, ye might want to move her up on yer little list there…"

***** ***** *****

Lexington sat on the edge of the castle with his rookery brothers. It was the first time in weeks the three of them had been in the castle together. Hudson and Angela had left on patrol, Goliath was in the library, and Elisa and Matt were working.

"So what do you guys want to do?" he questioned.

"Anyone hungry?" Broadway asked.

Brooklyn was the first off the roof, "Yeah, let's go hit that new burger place." 

For one night full night, no one spoke of mates, love, or babies.

It was like old times. 

***** ***** *****

"I don't know… This is the third time this week I've looked at the picture and I gotta tell you… I don't see the resemblance. Now I can see how the baby is gonna look like Detective Maza…"

Matt snatched the ultrasound photo back, "Give me that, Morgan."

Elisa lowered her head to hide the grin she knew was spreading across her face, but Matt caught the look before she had a chance to get her head down, "What are you looking at?" he muttered as he tossed a stack of files at her.

***** ***** *****

"I am not ready for this Angela…"

"You going to do fine." 

Elisa sat on the edge of the castle flipping through the medical journal Angela used when sewing up her head a few months ago, "Why is everyone so sure about this but me?" 

She was thinking of the earlier incident with Alexander. If it weren't for Lexington's quick reactions she'd have dropped the poor kid off the changing table. "I'm just not sure I'm cut out for this 'mother' thing…"

"Don't cut yourself short Elisa, you are one of the strongest human's I know…."

"Angela, how many other humans do you know?"

"Princess Katherine, Tom, The Magus, you, Fox, your mom and dad, Xanatos…"

"I don't know that I'd be so quick to count Xanatos as human…" 

"King Arthur, all the humans we met while traveling on the skiff…"

Elisa held up her hands, "OK, I get the point…"

Angela smiled, "Elisa, I count myself fortunate to even know you… The time we spent on the skiff… Do you realize it weren't for you, my father might not have ever admitted I am his daughter?"

Elisa looked at Angela. She wasn't to sure how much a part she had in the changes between Goliath and his daughter, but it did bring up an interesting thought, one she hadn't seriously considered until now. 

The relationship between gargoyles and their 'children'. 

She took a tentative step towards Angela, "Goliath is really getting into this fatherhood thing isn't he?"

"Yes… he is…"

Elisa appraised the young woman, "If you tell him I told you this I deny it, but I think he regrets not admitting his connection to you sooner…"

Angela's tone was sullen, "Sometimes I find that hard to believe…"

Elisa was silent for a moment before continuing, "It never occurred to me until now but… how do you feel about all this?"

The young woman was quiet for some time and for a moment Elisa thought she wasn't going to answer the question. Finally Angela looked up and locked eyes with her, "Well…I admit I was a bit jealous about him being so willing to be a father now after not waning to even admit I am his daughter... "

"And now?" Elisa inquired.

Angela gave her a sly grin before speaking, "There's too many boys here as it is…a sister would have been better…"

Elisa returned the grin, "Sorry to disappoint you…" 

Angela continued, "I sometimes miss my family on Avalon… brothers and sisters… But now I have the best of both worlds…" 

She walked over to Elisa and hugged her tightly, "I many not have much a mother, but I have my father, the boys, Hudson, Bronx, you, and a brother on the way … So now I have a true family here."

Elisa felt the tears welling up in her eyes, "No… we have a family…"

***** ***** *****

"Hello?"

"Hey Beth, it's me…"

"Elisa, how are you doing? Did mom tell you I can't make it up for the baby shower? With school and all…"

"Yeah, I understand…"

"I'll be there soon so I won't miss the birth…"

"That's good…"

"Elisa… you sound terrible… Are you OK?"

"Why wouldn't I be OK?"

"Because I imagine everyone is driving you nuts right now."

"Good point…"

***** ***** *****

"What are you doing out here?"

Goliath sat on the edge of the battlement, looking at the most recent ultrasound picture, "Just thinking… about our son…"

"What about him?"

"I was wondering if there will be a place for him in this world…"

"Oh…" Elisa walked over and took the picture form his grasp, "I thought it was something serious…"

Goliath looked over the city, "Elisa if something were to happen… if he were to look like me…"

She kissed him on the side of the head, "I should hope so…"

"I'm serious…"

"So am I." She turned his head so he could look directly into her eyes, "Big Guy, we are going to have the best looking kid on the planet…" She leaned in and kissed him gently, "He's going to be strong and handsome… just like his daddy." 

Goliath held her, drawing strength from her convictions. She was his confidant, his lover, and his best friend, "No, he will be beautiful… like his mother…" 

She looked up at him and smiled, "See? What'd I tell you, a good looking kid." She tugged at him playfully, "Now come on back in before Broadway eats all the cookies. I think Fox is starting to regret allowing him to stay for the baby shower…" 

Goliath took in a deep breath of the night air, "Exactly when will all this 'gift giving' end?"

"Probably never if my mother has anything to say about it…" she slipped her hand into his, leading him back into the Castle. She could see a part of him was still dwelling on their earlier conversation, "Don't worry, Big Guy. I promise you things are going to be fine… You have my word on that…"

***** ***** *****

"You what?"

"I put $100 on the baby pool…"

"Why?"

"I figured I got the inside track…."

"Matt, that's hardly fair…"

"Half the pot goes to the baby and the other goes to whoever's closest to the day…"

Elisa paused for a moment, "Put me down for $20…"

***** ***** *****

Elisa shook the hands of the rest of the 'birthing' team, "Dr. Silver, exactly how many more people are going to be in here?" she inquired.

"Just the three of us, you, and Goliath." Dr. Silver gave the couple a concerned look, "Did you want someone else to be here with you? I know your mother has indicated she'd like to be…"

Elisa shook her head emphatically, "Ahh… no… I think there is going to be enough mayhem in here without my mother hovering over me…"

"Elisa," Goliath said slowly, "it is traditional for clan to be present for the hatching…"

"With 'hatching' being the optimal word here… and since we won't be 'hatching' him, I think human traditions stand for now. You, the doctors, and me. No more."

"Elisa…" he started again.

She gave him a warning look, "Unless you plan on giving up your spot…"

Goliath turned to face Dr. Silver, "I think it would be best if it was just Elisa and myself…" 

***** ***** *****

Elisa sat in Captain Chavez's office going over the case files for the week. She shifted in the chair uncomfortably, her pregnancy was now painfully obvious and it was almost impossible to get into a position she could stay in for any length of time.

Maria Chavez glanced over at the detective, "You know you don't have to be here…"

Elisa winced and shifted again in the chair, "Oh yes I do…"

"Why?"

Elisa shook her head and gave the woman a discouraged expression, "Because going home is not an option… at least not right now…"

***** ***** *****

"What do you mean you're not going to the Lemmas classes?"

"Mom, I might not even have a regular birth. What good are the classes going to do me?"

"You need to be going to those classes just in case. Have Matt go with you…"

"Please, he's doing enough as it is…"

"Elisa, this is important…"

"Mom, leave her alone…"

"Hush, Derek…."

"Mom, leave Derek alone…"

"Elisa, don't talk back to your mother…"

"Dad…"

"Elisa… calm down. Dr. Silver said you should be avoiding stress…"

"That's it, we're out of here…"

"Derek Maza, you put her down this instant! She supposed to be resting. Just where do you think you're taking her?"

Derek held his sister tightly in his grasp and moved to the window of his parent's apartment, "There's a fight in the Garden tonight. It's bound to be more quiet."

***** ***** *****

"Hello?"

"Hey Beth, it's me…"

"Elisa! Good timing, I was just about to take off for class. What's up?"

"Is there any chance you might come up early?"

"That bad?"

"You have no idea…"

***** ***** *****

"As you can see on the monitor, his growth is amazing, and based on his size, close to full term. I'd say you have maybe a week, two at the most."

Goliath smiled at Elisa who was lying flat on her back looking at the screen, "Can you see anything else?" he asked tentatively. 

Elisa took his talon in her hand as she sat up and gave it a gentle squeeze. She knew he was still concerned his son was going to be held back by inheriting too many of his father's looks.

Dr. Silver shook her head, "No… I would do a DNC but I doubt it would tell us much. If the child has any of your internal traits Goliath, and I believe he probably does, it's highly likely he'll be immune to most human afflictions." She turned back to the monitor before looking back over at Elisa, "The only thing I can tell you for sure from the ultrasound is that this kid is all boy…"

Elisa smiled faintly and whispered in Goliath's ear as he lifted her off the table and set her down on the floor, "Takes after his daddy…" 

***** ***** *****

"Matt, I hate this..."

"Oh for crying out loud, give it a rest already…"

"I'll tell you the name we picked…" Elisa whispered.

"You already told me."

"Let me do one arrest and I swear, I'll shut up for the rest of the time I'm suck on desk duty…"

"Hand me the Jackson file…"

She tossed the file to him, "Come on… you know you hate this as much as I do…"

"Not as much as I hate the idea of loosing a limb..."

***** ***** *****

Elisa had moved her down into the Labyrinth three days ago, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get comfortable in the new bed. She tried laying on her side, back, propped up with pillows but nothing seemed to help. Finally she resigned herself to getting up and walked out to the main area of the Labyrinth. 

Maggie looked up from her spot on a near by couch and smiled. She shifted over to make room for Elisa, "Baby keeping you up?" 

"No, I think much like his father he sleeps during the day. Which is good because at night it's a distraction…"

Maggie gave her a puzzled expression, "What do you mean?"

"Goliath." Elisa put her feet up on the coffee table, "With my due date coming up, it's like he's freaking out. Last night he made Owen call the station every thirty minutes just to make sure things were fine."

Maggie grinned at her, "He's just excited…"

"No, he's just annoying. I told him if he didn't cut it out I'd tell my mother…"" 

Maggie gave her a suspect stare, "You know you don't mean that…"

"True, but it was the only thing I could think of to get him to quit calling." Elisa smiled back and shifted around on the couch, "The truth is, it makes me feel better to know he's excited about this…"

Maggie favored her with a soft smile, "You both have come a long way…"

"We all have…" Elisa smiled softly, "I'll let you in a little secret… sometimes when we're together… Goliath can feel the baby's heartbeat…"

Maggie sat forward, intrigued by this new revelation, "You're kidding…" 

"Nope. It is kinda cool but do us both a favor and don't say anything, OK? My mother will amp out even more than she already has."

Maggie nodded gravely, "Your secret is safe with me."

Elisa noticed for the first time Maggie was reading a book, "What's that?" 

Maggie was hesitant to speak, so she just held the book out. _The Big Book of Baby Names_. Elisa cocked her head slightly, not really understanding. Everyone knew they had selected a name for their son and then it finally hit her, "Maggie… Are you pregnant?"

"You gotta promise not to tell anyone!"

Elisa looked at her with surprise, "Why not this is great!"

Derek walked into the room, apparently over hearing the last portions of their conversation, "Are you nuts? Have you just not seen how Mom is acting with you?"

Elisa turned to face her brother, "Good point Fur Ball, but you're going to have to tell them sometime…" 

Derek sat down between them on the couch, "We know, but Maggie is only two months along and Dr. Silver thinks ours is going to be a bit more conventional than yours, so we made her swear not to say anything until after you have yours."

Maggie kissed Derek on the side of the head, "We didn't want to steal any of your thunder, Elisa."

"That's bull, you didn't want all that crap back down here again."

"That's true too…" her brother replied smugly.

Elisa leaned into her brother and he put a protective arm around her and Maggie. They spent the rest of the day trying to come up with a name for the future member of the Reed-Maza family. 

***** ***** *****

It started off like any other shift. They arrived, clocked in, and within five minutes, Elisa was complaining. 

"Matt…"

"No…"

She gave him a hurt look, "You don't even know what I'm going to say…"

"Yes I do…"

"But this time it's really true… I can actually feel my brain slipping out of my head… I swear to you, I'm dying…"

Matt set his coffee on his desk and glanced at his partner, "Suck it up, Baby Lady."

She sat at her desk disgustedly, "Gawd, I don't know which is worse, the desk or that stupid nickname…"

Matt smiled at her, "Come on… you only have like a week to go…"

"It still sucks…" 

"Welcome to life." Matt glanced over the room before turning to her, "Have you figured out a way to tell Chavez you need to start your maternity leave early?"

Elisa picked up a file and flipped through it, "No… But I have a few ideas, so don't get freaked when she asks what kinds of complications 'we' are having."

Matt was about to ask exactly what kind of 'complications' she had in mind when he was cut off by the phone on his desk.

Elisa reached over and picked it up just so she would have something better to do than paperwork, "Maza…" she picked up a pad and began scribbling quickly, "OK. Got it… no we'll clear him now… yeah… give me 20 minutes…" 

She hung up the phone and looked at Matt, "See? Brain ooze all over the place…"

He ignored the comment, "Who was that?"

Elisa stood up, "District Night Court. They need some stuff sent over from evidence and Officer Davis needs to be cleared for court." she turned to walk over to the Evidence Room. "I'm gonna go pull it… unless you have some objection to that… God forbid I might get a paper cut or something…"

"Knock yerself out…" he gave her a smug look as she walked away, "Hey you're dropping brain cells all over the place…"

"Shut up Matt…Go clear Davis will ya?"

Matt smiled, at least she hadn't lost her sense of humor. Pregnancy seemed to work for her, and he was gonna miss having her around while she was on maternity leave. Chavez had offered to give him some time off when the baby came and he was actually thinking about taking her up on it. He walked over to the Desk Sergeant to begin clearing Officer Davis for court. 

That was when foot patrol showed up.

As soon as Matt saw them, he knew something was wrong. The officers were having way too much trouble holding on to the man. He could feel it; something bad was about to happen. He spoke softly to Morgan who was standing near by, "Get ready… we might have a problem…"

***** ***** *****

"Hey Stan…"

The Sergeant looked up, "Hey… Baby Lady… how's it going?"

"You don't want to know… Listen can you pull some stuff from the Harrison bust? File number 29644-80."

The man flipped through a large file, "Yeah…no problem. Hey I want to put $50 on the baby pool… any chance you give me some inside info? I'll cut you in for 20 percent…"

"Sorry, Morgan cut a better deal and offered to go 60-40…"

"Man… I got to get out of the Evidence room… I never get a chance at the good deals…"

***** ***** *****

Matt moved up slowly. The officers were trying to get the man moving in the direction of the holding cells, but paused long enough to slam the suspect into a near by desk. One of the uniformed officers was on the verge of loosing his temper, "Stop resisting, asshole…"

Matt took a quick glance around, Chavez had just walked out of her office and was moving to them. The prisoner was still thrashing about and only then did Matt realize the man had worked one hand out of the cuffs.

"Shit…" he hissed, "Get a hold of him!"

***** ***** *****

Elisa looked up from the paperwork she was filling out, she could hear what sounded like people yelling in the hallway, "What the hell is going on out there?"

***** ***** *****

The whole thing happened in slow motion. Matt watched as the prisoner threw one of the officers off and turn to face the other who was scrambling to get a grip on his arms. The suspect was practically dragging the officer down the hall towards the back of the station. 

Elisa walked out of the Evidence room, "Damn Matt, I leave the room for five minutes…"

Matt saw her walk out and yelled out to her, "Elisa, get back!" 

She barely registered the warning but did manage to find herself face to face with the reason for all the yelling, "Whoa, just take it easy…"

The man struck the other officer on the side of the head, causing blood to gush from the wound. He fell to the floor in an unconscious heap as the suspect tried to kick him. Elisa immediately dropped down to protect the fallen officer from further injury. She looked up at the man who was now on the verge of reeking havoc on the station, "Are you nuts?! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I ain't going to jail…"

The suspect reached over and shoved Elisa into the wall with a resounding thud. Her head was ringing and her vision was blurred, but not bad enough for her not to see the weapon tucked down in his waistband, "Gun!" she hollered out.

***** ***** *****

"What's up?" Derek inquired.

Goliath's brow was knotted in concentration, "I don't know… Something's wrong…"

***** ***** *****

Maria Chavez heard the warning before she actually saw the threat, and dropped to one knee and pulling her own weapon in the same fluid motion. The man now held a pistol… a pistol that was now pointed in the direction Elisa and the fallen officer. "Drop it!" she yelled out and the man turned to face her.

"Get the fuck back or they're both history…" the suspect retorted.

Matt took a tentative forward to close the gap between himself and the now armed suspect. He was speaking between clinched teeth, "Hey Pal, don't do this… let 'em go…" He sounded firm, but Chavez could hear the tension building in his voice. 

The man crouched down behind Elisa and the unconscious officer. He reached over, grabbed Elisa by the hair and pulled her closer to him. She made half an attempt to stand, but it only seemed to strengthen the man's resolve to keep her exactly where she was. He pressed the gun to the side of her neck, "Cut the shit, or I swear I'm gonna ruin you're whole day…" 

Elisa flinched at the pressure of the weapon but managed to hiss out, "Oh we are way past that…"

"Shut up!" He glared at Matt and the others who were slowly approaching him. "Back off! Just let me out a here and no one has to get hurt…"

Matt returned the gunman's icy stare, "You know we can't do that…" 

Elisa could see Matt's finger in the trigger of his 9-mm and knew he was debating if he could get a shot off without hitting her or the downed officer. She craned her head back to look at her assailant, "Listen to what he's telling you… You do not want to go down like this… so do us both a favor and put the gun down…" 

She could see the gunman was not listening. He had a foreign look in his eyes and Elisa had a bad feeling about how this was about to play out.

***** ***** *****

Matt could see this was not going to end they way they hoped. Captain Chavez was still crouched beside him and several other officers were trying to move in from the other end of the hall. If shots were fired, Elisa and the downed officer were going to be caught in the crossfire. The situation was rapidly getting worse and the sad thing was the gunman didn't seem to care. 

"Drop the gun Pal, or you're gonna die…"

Elisa looked at Matt as he spoke and heard the crack in his voice. She knew what was happening and she needed to open a window of opportunity for Matt to react before the gunman got more panicky. 

They only had one chance at this. 

She shifted around slightly, earning another jab from the gunman, "Cut the shit, Bitch…"

Matt was about to make his move when he realized what Elisa was about to do, "Elisa! No!" 

Without warning she stood up and shoved back into the man, causing both of them to come to their feet. She hoped the sudden movement would knock him back enough for Matt to take the guy out. The ploy worked as there was now about a two-foot gap between her and the gunman.

"Clear!" Elisa yelled out. 

The gap did two things. It gave Matt the opening he needed but it also gave the suspect room to move. With more flexibility than Elisa would have given him credit for, he brought his leg up and gave her a sharp kick to the midsection. She felt an explosive pain as she hit the wall behind her and slid down. 

The sound of gunfire echoed through the 23rd Precinct as Matt fired two shots at the man, both striking the man in the upper shoulder and arm. He dropped the gun as he went down and several officers rushed into prevent him from reaching the weapon. Captain Chavez reached him first and quickly kicked the gun out of his reach. 

"Son of a … call an ambulance…" she muttered as she slipped a set of cuffs over his wrists, "Someone get this dirt bag out of here!" 

Morgan and another officer move to drag the wounded gunman out of the corridor and into the main area of the 23rd. Chavez wondered absently what the hell had possessed him to try something so stupid, but she had more pressing matters to deal with. Several officers were lifting the wounded officer to his feet, and while he looked OK, it was hard to tell from her position. She was about to move to them when she heard a voice yell out from behind her. 

"Officer down!"

She turned to see Matt kneeling beside Elisa. The Detective was trying to get up, but he kept pushing her back down and repeating "Stay still…" 

Chavez rushed to his side. There was blood splatter all over Elisa, "How bad is it?" Chavez asked. 

Elisa was conscious but incoherent, speaking softly with words that made no sense. She had her hands wrapped around her midsection and was breathing through clinched teeth. 

"Bad enough…" Matt said softly.

***** ***** *****

Goliath felt as if he'd been struck, "No…"

***** ***** *****

Elisa was out of it but knew enough to realize she was in trouble, "Get me out of here…"

Matt took his keys out of his pocket and tossed them on the floor behind him, "Someone go get my car…" He pulled his cell phone from his belt and jabbed at the keypad, mentally willing someone to answer quickly. He began speaking as soon as he heard the line click.

"It's me, call Dr. Silver. Elisa's hurt and I don't know how badly… I'm bringing her down now." He hung up and looked at the stunned officers who were now crowding around, "Will someone please go get my car…"

__

Please…

Elisa was crying softly, "It hurts…"

One of the other officers moved closer, "Maybe we should wait for the ambulance…"

Matt turned to him in a blind rage, "There's no time! Go get my car like right fucking NOW!" he was nearly crying himself, afraid of what might be happening. He picked Elisa up and started moving through the precinct. 

__

Please God…

Chavez bent over to retrieve Matt's keys and tossed them to Morgan, "Move!"

"Goliath?" Elisa whispered. 

Matt gripped Elisa tighter, "No… I'm gonna take you to him." He whispered reassuring words while trying to increase his pace without shaking her too much.

Elisa heard ringing in her ears and spoke softly in Matt's ear, "Goliath, something's wrong…" 

__

Please God… Don't do this…

Matt realized she had no idea who he was or where she was at and pleaded with her quietly, "Hold on Elisa. Just hold on…"

The panic was rising in Elisa's voice, "Goliath…" 

Matt finally made it outside just as his car came screeching up. Maria Chavez pulled the passenger door open as Matt set Elisa in as gently as he could, "What hospital are you taking her to?" she asked.

__

Please God… Don't do this to me…

Matt ran around to the other side of the car without answering Captain Chavez. He practically dragged Morgan out of the driver's seat as he got in and slammed the car into drive. He could hear the sounds of sirens coming closer and looked over at his passenger. She had her hands and arms around her midsection, and was trembling uncontrollably, "Come on Elisa…" he whispered, "hold on…"

Please God… Don't do this to her…

Elisa felt as if she were slipping away and the murkiness was closing in, "Goliath…" she whispered.

Without warning, she let loose a horrendous howl that Matt knew would haunt him for the rest of his life, and was then silent as the darkness took over.

***** ***** *****

Dr. Silver had rushed her team in and they all now stood ready for whatever had happened. When David Xanatos called her, the details were sketchy, but apparently something had happened at the station. When Goliath ran in with Elisa clutched to his chest she knew it was going to be trouble of the worse kind.

He and Derek had evidently met Matt at the entrance of the Labyrinth and carried Elisa the rest of the way down. She was unconscious and there was a spray of what looked like blood over her. 

Dr. Silver looked from Elisa to Goliath and finally settled on Matt, "What happened?" When she got no immediate response, she grabbed Matt by the coat and shook him, "Bluestone, was she shot?"

The question seemed to force Matt to snap out of his silence, "No…" he replied quickly.

"How long has she be out?"

"Not long… maybe a couple of minutes…"

Dr. Sliver immediately moved into action, "Get her in the room! Let's move people!"

Matt was right behind them and was about to follow Goliath into the make shift emergency room, when Brooklyn grabbed him by the arm, "What the hell happened?"

Matt felt his adrenaline rush diminishing, "Elisa… some guy came into the station…" he dropped to the floor, "Oh God…"

Derek cursed softly, "Damn…" as he spun around to leave the labyrinth.

"Where are you going?" Brooklyn demanded.

"Brook, stay here with Matt… and try to get word to the others…" he turned to Maggie and gave her a quick kiss, "I'll be back soon…"

***** ***** *****

Dr. Silver placed a stethoscope to Elisa's stomach, "Hook up the fetal monitors and get an IV in her… I don't want her going into shock."

Goliath held her hand, "Hold on, Elisa… Hold on."

***** ***** *****

Derek quickly returned with his parents and Brooklyn was able to get word to the rest of the Clan. Fox and Xanatos had insisted on coming along and Hudson was in no mood to argue with them in light of the situation. They stood in shocked silence, as Matt was finally able to relate the events of the evening.

"…then I brought her here. If figured it was safer than trying to get her to a hospital…"

Hudson clasped Matt on the shoulder tightly, "Aye Lad, ye done good tonight…"

"Are they OK?" Angela asked softly. 

Brooklyn looked at the door leading to where the doctors were working on Elisa, "I don't know… they've been in there an awful long time…"

Fox stood off to the side with her husband. Xanatos had a grim expression on his face, "Damn… how long to sunrise?" he asked.

Hudson shook his head sadly, "Too long, lad…too long… and I don't know that it would make a difference…"

***** ***** *****

"This is Travis Marshall, coming to you live from New York's 23rd Precinct, where a vicious attack has just taken place… Police have yet to make an official statement yet and details are sketchy at this time, but it appears there was some type of gun battle between police and an unidentified man earlier this evening. 

In the ensuing chaos, the suspect was shot and several officers were injured. The injured officers have been identified as Patrolman Richard Clark and Detective Second Class, Elisa Maza. All three have been taken local area hospitals.

We have been told the gunman is in guarded condition, Patrolman Clark is listed stable condition but there has been no word on Detective Maza at this time. Our sources tell us that Detective Maza is pregnant and possibly in her third trimester.

As you may remember Detective Maza was instrumental in the apprehension and arrest of Robin and Jason Canmore who were responsible for the bombing of the police station last year. Officials are making no comments at this time as to whether the incidents might somehow be related. 

Just to recap on the details we have at this time, there has been an altercation at the 23rd Precinct. The suspect has been shot and two officers have been injured.

We'll be updating you on this breaking story as information comes in. This is Travis Marshall…"

***** ***** *****

"I think the wall of the shell may have been ruptured…Damn… Looks like we have some internal bleeding…"

Dr. Silver looked up from the ultrasound monitor to check Elisa's vital signs, "Her blood pressure is dropping… Christ, if we don't get this under control, we're gonna lose them…"

***** ***** *****

Captain Chavez looked over the arrest report. She now had a name to go with the face. Lewis Eric Wells. They brought him in on a routine domestic disturbance. No priors.

When they searched him at the hospital, they found a small baggie containing marijuana in his front pants pocket.

She tossed the report on her desk in abhorrence. Two officers injured for what would have amounted to a misdemeanor offence. One he probably would have gotten probation for but now Mr. Wells was looking at a felony assault charge and jail time. 

"Captain?"

She looked up, "What is it Morgan?"

"The Commissioner is requesting an update on Detective Maza…"

"Well as soon as I get one I'll pass it along. Did Matt say what hospital he took her to?"

"He hasn't checked in yet…"

Maria Chavez stood abruptly, "What do you mean he hasn't checked in yet?"

***** ***** *****

"Doctor, fetal heart rate is increasing…"

"We may have to induce labor if we expect any chance of saving the baby…"

The med tech looked over at where Goliath was standing. He knew the giant gargoyle was watching their every move as well as looking over the still unconscious woman. "Her pressure is too low, if we put her under she might not make it." He whispered.

"If we don't do something the baby wont make it either… Get two more bags of fluid in her… we have got to get her stabilized…" 

Dr. Silver looked over the medical team then walked over to Goliath, "Goliath, we may have to induce labor… But you need to understand the risks... The trauma from the blow has caused internal bleeding and Elisa's blood pressure is dropping at an alarming rate…"

A single tear slipped down his cheek, "Will she survive?"

"She fighting… but at this stage… if the bleeding continues Elisa could slip into a coma."

"What about our son?"

"The baby's survival depends on Elisa not slipping into a coma… Inducing labor may give us the chance to get her stabilized with minimal risks to the baby… but if we wait any longer we might loose them both…"

***** ***** *****

"What if something happens to her?" Lexington whispered.

Broadway walked over to his rookery brother, "Lex, this is Elisa we're talking about… if anyone can pull out of this… it's her."

"Yeah," Brooklyn added, "She's been through rougher things before and it's always worked out OK. Why would this be any different…?"

Matt overheard the words Broadway spoke. _I hope you're right_, he thought, _I hope to God you're right_…

***** ***** *****

"Doctor, flatline!" 

"Damn it!"

Alarms were sounding from the monitors as Goliath stepped back to allow the medical team room to work.

"We're loosing her…"

***** ***** *****

Captain Chavez was pissed. She'd called all the hospitals in the city and none of them reported having Detective Maza or Bluestone there. She picked up the phone and dialed Matt's cellular but again got no answer. She slammed the receiver down in anger.

Where the hell had he taken her?

***** ***** *****

Goliath held the child in his hands as tears burned in his eyes. The boy was a mixture of his father and mother. He had his mother's coloring, but his facial structure and build was similar to his father. The strong ridgeline was visible, and beneath thick dark raven hair, two small horns were barely perceivable. The boy had no wings; instead there was thin webbing between his arms, fingers and toes. He had five fingers… like his mother. Goliath looked over at Dr. Silver wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.

"I am truly sorry… We did everything we could…" She turned slowly, unable to bare it any longer and walked out to tell everyone what had happened. The other members of the birthing team walked out quietly behind her.

The room now had an eerie silence. As Goliath held the tiny infant in his grasp tightly, a lone tear trickled down his face. 

"Our son…" He whispered, "He is beautiful… just like you said he would be…"

***** ***** *****

Diane rushed over as soon as Dr. Silver came out of the room. "What happened? Is Elisa all right? "

Dr. Silver shook her head sadly, "We did everything we possibly could… even if we had been in a full trauma center… " She looked into Diane Maza's eyes, "I'm sorry…"

Peter Maza went to his wife and held her as she began to sob, "Oh no…. no…."

***** ***** *****

Matt sat in his car, hoping the tears would stop soon. He needed to check in with Captain Chavez. He had shut his cell phone off long ago tying to avoid dealing with the whole situation, but he knew he couldn't put it off any longer. There were too many questions and only he had the answers.

He edged out of the car and began walking up the concrete stairs to the 23rd. He knew this was going to be the single hardest thing he was ever going to have to do in his life. Several officers approached him but he said a word to no one as he made his way to Captain Chavez's office.

She slammed the phone down as soon as he walked into her office, "Damn it Bluestone, I've been trying to reach you all night. Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you call in? Where's Elisa? Where the hell did you take her?" 

She knew she was firing too many questions at him, but in her concern for what had happened, and anger at him for not calling sooner, she couldn't stop herself. She finally reigned herself in enough to see the detective was about to collapse.

"Matt…?"

***** ***** *****

"Pulse and heart beat are stabilizing…. I'll go get Dr. Sliver…"

Goliath took a step forward, effectively shoving the medical tech out of the way. He barely noticed the man leaving the room. 

Elisa finally opened her eyes slowly, "Goliath?" 

She looked down; something about her was wrong. It took a moment for her to register, but when she did, a cold wave of dread fell over her. The events of the night were beginning to come back to her, "The baby…"

He knew she needed to be told and he wanted her to hear it from him, "No…"

Elisa felt the tears well up in her eyes, "Oh no…" she shook her head as the tears began to fall, "no…."

Goliath wiped away her tears with gentle talons before he leaned down to kiss her softly on the forehead, "Yes…" he murmured.

Elisa shoved him away roughly, "You're lying…" She looked into his eyes and knew he was telling her the truth but she desperately wanted to hear him admit to the lie. 

"This didn't happen. Please, " she implored, "Tell me it's a lie…and that this didn't happen…" 

"I wish it wasn't so…" he moved closer and pulled her into his embrace, "We lost him..."

She went limp in his embrace, "No…" she whispered. He tightened his arms around her as she cried uncontrollably. 

The storm of emotion eventually passed and the tears slowed. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were red and anguished, "I want to see him…"

"Elisa…"

"I want … I have to see him… Please…"

Goliath gave her a soft hug before moving to the bassinet to lift the small bundle. He turned and presented his love with their son. 

Elisa pulled the blanket away to look at the child. She saw all the things Goliath had seen earlier and more. The boy was indeed a beautiful mix of his father and mother. She ran her fingers over his face and kissed his head lightly. A fresh batch of tears fell from her eyes as she gazed at their baby. Goliath knelt beside her and together they held the innocent life that had somehow been taken from them.

***** ***** *****

"Can we see her?"

Dr. Sliver glanced to the doorway where Goliath now stood, "Is she up for visitors?" 

He took a deep breath and walked into the area where they all stood waiting for word on Elisa, "Perhaps for a moment…"

Diane moved to him slowly, placing a tender hand on his arm as she went to pass him, "I am so sorry…" She paused for a moment as her husband joined her in going to see their daughter.

Hudson walked over, "Aye Lad… we all are…"

"Thank you my friend… Thank you all…" he indicated to the others they could enter but they declined understanding that Peter and Diane needed time alone with their daughter. 

Goliath slowly walked over to the edge of the Labyrinth. He could feel an immense pain building in his chest and needed to get away from the others. 

Brooklyn walked up behind him, "Are you OK?"

Goliath was silent. He wasn't sure how he was taking it but knew he needed to be strong for Elisa. He turned to his second in command, "We will survive…"

"That's not what I asked…"

Goliath dropped his head, "I know…"

***** ***** *****

Dr. Silver had finally insisted the others give her time to rest and for the first time Elisa was truly alone. 

She shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable. 

She lay quietly in the dim, make shift hospital room, drained and exhausted. She had been crying so much her body hurt, not from the physical loss but the emotional loss as well. She felt like she had been crying for days rather than hours. It was hard to comprehend that the last few months had cumulated themselves in the course of a few hours. Despite Dr. Sliver's assurances there was nothing anyone could have done, she knew the truth.

This was her fault. If she had done her job and stayed in the Evidence Room none of this would have happened.

For months she felt the small life inside her developing, growing, and bonding in a way she had never felt possible with another, save for Goliath. To loose their child because of her own actions was more than she could bear and the thought caused a fresh set of tears to fall. 

Someone had removed all the baby items and for that she was grateful. They held too many thoughts and dreams that were now not meant to be. She looked at the IVs running from her hand to the unit beside her bed. She had lost a considerable amount of blood and fluids during the ordeal, and Dr. Silver was worried she might go back into shock and insisted on taking every precaution. 

She had told them there was no lasting damage and, in time, Elisa would recover.

Elisa wasn't so sure about that. She toyed with the lines for a moment and finally let them alone. She was still to numb to think about anything but the loss right now.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, listening to the steady beeping of the heart monitors, which were still hooked to her. Periodically the beeps would increase then slow, responding to her heartbeat and on a lessor level the anxiety she was feeling. The sounds offered no comfort to her… but instead stood as a reminder of the actions she took. Actions which had allowed their son to die.

Dr. Silver had given her something to help her sleep despite her protests and she wondered if the medication was making her paranoid because she suddenly felt as if she was not alone.

She tried to focus her eyes in the darkness; someone was off to the side, in the dark shadows of the labyrinth hospital room. Her first reaction was that it was Goliath until the shadow seemed to shift slightly, as if surprised to realize it had been discovered. "Show yourself…" she said slowly.

The shadow remained still, and for an instant, Elisa thought she might have been mistaken, but after several more minutes the shadow finally moved slowly to her. Elisa was caught off guard, but for some reason, not shocked to see who is was, "What do you want?"

Demona moved slowly to the side of the bed, but said nothing.

Elisa looked to the doorway of the room checking to see if the others knew she was there, but no one arrived. She knew all she had to do was call out to Goliath and he would be in there in a flash. She looked back at the gargoyle woman before her, "What are you doing here?"

She paused before speaking, "It was on the news… I only wanted to ensure you had survived…" 

Elisa felt a sudden surge of fury, "Afraid you might miss the opportunity of doing the job yourself?"

Demona flinched and stepped back slightly, "I had nothing to do with the attack…"

"You have no idea how little that means to me right now…" the words held no hatred or anger behind them, rather pain and loss.

Demona didn't react to Elisa's words, rather she moved closer, "I came to offer my condolences…"

"Pardon me if I don't get all choked up by the gesture…" Elisa said icily. "Now either kill me or leave…"

"I pose no threat to you Human… Not tonight…" She turned back into the shadows and paused for a moment, "I know what it is to loose a child…"

Elisa was stunned by the statement and realized Demona was speaking about her own daughter. She thought back to the conversation she'd had with Angela; it seemed like a lifetime ago.

In the months their son grew in her body, she and Goliath had the opportunity to bond and connect with him in a way Demona would never able to do. Because of her own actions Demona had ensured she might never have the opportunity for a relationship with her daughter. 

Demona had lost a child who was still alive and some how in Elisa's mind that was as bad as the loss of her own son. 

"Demona." She called out softly.

The silhouetted shape paused for a moment and turned to move back into the light. The shadows cast an eerie look over her face, and Elisa thought the gargoyle woman might have been crying. She tried to speak again but the drugs were overtaking her, and she wasn't even sure she even said the words aloud, "I'm sorry for your loss as well…" she mumbled as sleep over took her. 

Demona stopped and looked at the sleeping detective in dismay. She was horrified and stunned to discover the human woman… pitied her and the sudden insight forced her to rethink the words she had said before. It would be easy to kill her now and be done with it. 

Whatever she might have done was interrupted when Goliath walked back into the room. Demona stepped back into the shadows knowing he hadn't seen her. She watched him intently from her hidden vantage point. 

Goliath looked down at Elisa, her raven hair was mussed and she looked more fatigued than he had ever seen her. But she was alive and he was grateful she was now resting. He stood over her and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips and kissing it softly. The night had been hard on them all, and while he was still feeling a great deal of pain over their loss he was relieved she was alive. He doubted he would have survived loosing his son and Elisa on the same night. 

He held her hand loosely and listened to the beeping of the heart monitor. Even while unconscious she still responded to his presence and the beeping sound increased; her heart beating in time with his. He bent slightly and kissed her on the forehead, speaking to her softly.

Demona could hear him whispering and strained to hear what he was saying. After a few moments she managed to make out some of the words, "Elisa…" "…now and forever…" "Rest…" He stood for a moment longer and then moved to the door to leave.

Demona waited several minutes before moving back into the light. The woman lying in the bed made no sound but she did appear to be resting more peacefully after Goliath's words. Once again she toyed with the idea of killing her while she slept. It would be so easy.

__

I pose no threat to you… I know what it is… 

Demona moved closer but found herself unable to bring any more pain to this woman, "I grieve for your loss as it is a pain no one should be forced to suffer… And I would not wish it on anyone… not even you."

She paused and then turned back into the shadows from which she came.

***** ***** *****

Goliath let loose a breath he didn't realize her was holding as he watched Demona leave. He had the feeling something was wrong and had gone back into the room to check on Elisa expecting the worse but saw nothing out of the ordinary. He watched her for a few moments ensuring she was truly safe but remained in the shadows ever watchful. 

He observed as Demona stepped over to the bed and heard the words she spoke before she left. He was surprised nothing more had come of this little encounter, but he was also relieved. Once she was gone he returned to the room and took his place by Elisa's side as she slept. 

Crouched down on one knee, with eyes watching over at his beloved, he remained this way until the dawn took him. He needed her to be the first thing he saw when he awoke.

***** ***** *****

"Bluestone… What are you doing here?"

Matt looked up at Captain Chavez, "Just clearing up some things… we're gonna take a few weeks off…"

"I've already cleared the schedules…. How is Elisa doing?"

He took a deep breath before answering, "The last couple of days have been rough… but she's… surviving…"

Chavez sat on the edge of the desk, "Some of the officers and detectives have been asking about the funeral…" She paused for a moment, waiting to see his reaction. When she got no response she continued on, "I told them it would probably be private service…" 

"Yeah… Let them know Elisa sends her thanks for all the cards and flowers… She wanted to thank everyone in person… but she's not really up for visitors right now…"

Chavez picked up the ultrasound photograph, which still sat proudly on Matt's desk. She looked at it for a long time before speaking again, "They must be taking it pretty hard…"

Matt nodded numbly, "Yeah… they are…" As soon as he said the words, he realized he'd made a major mistake, "…we are…" 

Captain Chavez looked at him for such a long time he was beginning to get uncomfortable and it was sometime before she spoke again, "I'd like to offer my condolences…"

"We appreciate it…"

"To the parents…"

He looked up at his boss. The expression on her face never changed and Matt knew that she knew the truth. "I'll pick you up tonight at 8."

***** ***** *****

They stood off to the side, away from the others in the Labyrinth. Elisa had been withdrawn for some time and Chavez suspected the woman would be hard pressed to recall what they had been discussing. They had been having half conversations which jumped from subject to subject and had no clear focus. 

"When did you know?" Elisa asked unexpectedly.

"I suspected after the Dracon bust… After that it was just a matter of putting the pieces together."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't see a point… I figured you'd say something when you were ready…"

Elisa nodded without really hearing the words. She scanned the room slowly barely registering what was going on around them. 

Her sister Beth and arrived a few days ago and was standing with their father, Derek, and Hudson, speaking in soft, hushed tones. Angela, Broadway, and Claw were refilling glasses and handing them to anyone who might need one. Even Fox and Xanatos were speaking quietly moving from group to group. Matt was over with Maggie and the clones who were playing quietly with Alexander and Lexington. She had to force herself to look away from the scene as tears began to burn in her eyes.

Goliath stood off to the side with Brooklyn and her mother. He looked over at her often insuring she was holding up. The crying gags were less frequent but he still remained close by should she need him.

She had been surprised when Matt told her Captain Chavez was going to be attending the wake, but too numb to object to it. She looked over at her boss, still not quiet ready to make eye contact with her, "You still planning to split me and Matt up?

Captain Chavez took a sip from her glass before answering, "No…"

"People will talk…"

"Let'em talk… wouldn't be the first time, and I doubt it will be the last…"

Elisa turned and gazed over the room, "I'll be coming back to work soon…"

"No rush…"

"I need to…" 

Maria Chavez said nothing. She could tell Elisa wasn't ready to talk about what had happened so she simply stood with her looking out over those attending wake, "It's good to see your family again…"

"Yeah…"

"Derek looks good…"

"Yeah… not bad for a Fur Ball…"

***** ***** *****

"Has she talked to you yet?"

"No…"

Matt placed a hand on Goliath's shoulder, "I'm worried about her…"

"As am I…"

***** ***** *****

"What can I do for you Goliath?"

"I wish to speak with you… Privately…"

"I see…" Xanatos shuffled several papers around on his desk, "We can finish this later…" Owen nodded briefly to his employer and walked out of the room. Xanatos looked at the lavender gargoyle that stood before him, "So… How are you?"

"Elisa will be going home tomorrow…"

"How is she doing?"

Goliath disregarded the question. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to ask his first and only favor from David Xanatos, "I wish to take her away from here… and I require your assistance to do so…" 

"Really… Well… " Xanatos arched an eyebrow at him slightly, "I can arrange that… I'll have Owen work out the details…"

"Fine…" 

As Goliath turned to leave, Xanatos moved from behind his desk called out to him, "Goliath…" 

He paused for a moment with his back to the billionaire, "Yes?"

"When we almost lost Alexander last year… I thought my world was going to end so I can only imagine what the two of you are going through right now… If there is anything either of you need…"

Goliath slowly turned to look at Xanatos. Slowly and methodically he walked over to the man and stood before him, "If ever you should require my assistance… I will be there…"

"Why? Because I'm doing this for you?"

"No… Because you did not put a price tag on it…" Goliath turned and walked out of the room without another word. 

Xanatos was taken back by the remark and after a fashion he hit a button on his intercom, "Owen…"

"Sir…" the voice sounded tinny emitting from the small speaker. 

"Arrange to have my private helicopter here tomorrow just after sunset…"

"Very well sir…"

"One other thing…"

"Yes Sir?" 

"Erase the last voice tape conversation recorded in my office."

Xanatos turned and looked out over the New York City skyline and smiled to himself. He still had an image to protect and there was no sense in letting everyone know he'd done something that didn't benefit him, Fox, or his son in the slightest. It would only tarnish his image as a self-serving egomaniac. 

***** ***** *****

Xanatos had Fox fly Elisa and Goliath to his upstate New York retreat, Xanadu, and told them to call when they were ready for pickup. It was the only place Goliath could think of that might suit their needs and they now stood on the roof of the retreat watching as Fox flew off in the distance.

Goliath knew they needed time to sort out what had happened and that meant time alone; time without everyone else trying to offer support. It was also his decision on the complete solitude for them since he was becoming increasingly concerned with Elisa's demeanor since the death of their son. 

She had become distant and withdrawn, barely speaking to anyone. If anyone attempted to bring up the subject, she effectively shut the individual out and refused to discuss the matter. She was trying to take on all the responsibility for what had happened and refused to look at it in any other light. 

It was a rift that was becoming increasingly difficult for even Goliath to breach as she was now to the point of shutting him out as well. Not since that fateful night had she allowed him to hold or comfort her. On several occasions he had tried, only to have her push him away and it pained him to see her hurting in such a way and he was beginning to feel helpless in his efforts to find a way of easing not only her pain but his own as well.

Goliath stood a few yards behind Elisa; watching and waiting. They had argued about even coming up here. Elisa insisted she was fine and ready to go back to work, but he knew better and persisted until he finally wore her down. 

Elisa knew she needed to talk about it, but the pain still so raw. She also knew she was failing Goliath as a mate to be supportive. He had focused his energy on helping her get past this and she was shutting him out. So centered on her own pain she failed to realize he was hurting too and needed time to grieve as well. The knowledge made her feel even worse as she stood with her back to him, unable to look him in the eye.

She shivered slightly in the cool evening air, "If I had just stayed where I was, none of this would have happened…"

"If you had, the man could have killed someone…"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? Sacrificing one life for another?" Elisa spun around, the anger evident in her expression, "Goliath I did something incredibly stupid and now we are both going to be paying for it for the rest of our lives…" 

She turned away from him, "I wouldn't blame you for hating me… "

Goliath recoiled in shock from her words, "Why would I hate you?"

"I lied to you… I promised you things were going to be OK…"

He took an experimental step forward. When she didn't move way, he took another, "I don't believe that anyone would have been able to keep that promise… Not even you." 

She turned slight to him and started to respond, but Goliath continued, "No, Elisa. It wasn't a promise that could be kept. It couldn't be kept, no matter how much you wanted to do so or how much I wanted it to be. Life does not work that way. So do not blame yourself for the fact this did not work out the way we both wanted…" 

"I failed in my responsibilities… I had a responsibility to you and to our son, and I fucked it up big time." 

"Elisa… that night was not your fault…"

"Oh really?" She gave him an incredulous look, "Goliath, I know better than to pull that stunt like that. It was stupid and even a rookie knows better than to do what I did."

Goliath was non-pulsed by her words, "If the fault lies with anyone, it rests with me…"

She was now glaring at him openly, "How do you figure that? Planning on flying into the station were you? Even if you had I doubt it would have made a difference. I'd already made a bad situation worse."

He lowered his eyes before speaking, "I was the one who allowed our son to be taken from you early… "

Elisa gave him a puzzled expression, "What are you talking about…?"

This was something he had yet to tell her about and it pained him to do so now, "When it became apparent there was nothing Dr. Silver could do to bring both of you through safely… I told her to do what ever it took to save you… I made a choice between you and our son… and that choice may have caused our son his life…"

Elisa could scarcely believe what she was hearing. He was blaming himself. "Goliath, the only reason you had to even make that choice was because of some dip shit with a baggie full of dope and a gun flipped out and I happened to stick my nose in the middle of it. If it that hadn't happened, we'd be holding our son right now, teaching him to fly circles around the room…"

He gave her a measured look, "Then you believe he might be to blame…"

"He was the one who showed up with the gun…"

Goliath cut her off before she could vocalize any further thoughts, "Then if it is his fault… it cannot be yours as well…"

"Well, yeah, he was…" She was about to continue when it hit her what he'd just done, "Not cool Big Guy…"

He moved to her but refrained from touching her just yet, understanding she wasn't ready for the contact, "But it is the truth…"

She stood silently still not looking at him, "So why do I still feel like this is my fault?"

"Elisa… Listen to me…" He lifted her head slightly so that she was now looking into his eyes. He wanted her to truly to understand and hear his words, "You have suffered a great loss…"

Elisa gazed at him, her eyes filling with tears, "So have you…" she closed the final gap between them, almost placing her hand on his chest, "I'm so sorry…"

He took a deep breath and trembled at her near touch, "Not as much as I… if I had lost both of you…"

"But you didn't…"

"I could have…"

They stood silently in the night, not quite touching but not so far apart any more, "So what do we do now?" she finally asked.

"We grieve…"

Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his waist, "I don't know if I can do this alone…"

He pulled her to him tightly, wrapping his wings around them both as the tears began to fall from his eyes, "Elisa, I know we can do this…together… and for as long as I live…you will never be alone." 

Her voice was muffled in his embrace, "It just hurts so much…" she could feel his arms tighten around her as he cried with her, "When will it stop hurting so much?"

"Maybe never… but in time… it will lessen…"

"I love you Goliath…." 

"As I love you…" He could feel some of her tension fading away and it allowed for him to relax as well. He knew they would get past this. 

He would stay by her side and she would stay by his. Together… the healing could now begin. 

But it would take time.

For both of them.

***** ***** *****

__

Seven months later…

Elisa stood in the darkness of the cemetery with Goliath. They came here often, just to spend time together… To remember; to mourn; and to heal. 

For the first time since they buried their son, Elisa actually looked at the stone Xanatos and Fox had placed over the body of their son. When they made the request to place it there, she had refused. After Goliath spoke with her she conceded. They needed to express their grief and this was something they wanted, needed, to do for the grieving parents. Looking the stone she was glad he changed her mind. 

It had come from the walls of Castle Wyvern and was polished until it had the look of glass. Elisa touched it lightly, almost expecting it to shimmer with movement like a stone tossed into a still pond. The engraving was painstakingly done and depicted a small image of Goliath on one knee and a similar image of Elisa standing beside him with a hand resting on his shoulder. 

Elisa spoke in a hushed, almost reverent tone, "That was nice of them…" 

"Yes it was…"

"I never thanked them…"

"They know…"

"It still hurts…"

"I know…"

Elisa was quiet for a moment as she read the engraving on the stone to herself, "You were right… it is a good strong name…." 

Beloved Son

Malcolm Thomas Maza

June 11, 1997

No child was loved more than he

No child will be missed as much

Goliath placed an arm around her, "Prince Malcolm and the Guardian would be honored…" 

"I think you're right…"

He pulled at her slightly, "Come… we will miss the birth of Derek and Maggie's daughter…"

Elisa paused to look at several small items that had been placed around the stone over the past few months. A small stuffed bear from Matt. A plastic police badge from Captain Chavez. A dump truck from Hudson, Bronx, and the Trio. A blue christening blanket from her parents. A child's story book from Angela. Several hand drawn pictures complements of the Clones. And finally, several baseball cards from Derek, Maggie, and Claw. 

She leaned over and kissed the stone lightly, "Bye Little Guy… Your family loves you…Your mom and dad love you…and miss you more than words can say…"

***** ***** *****

__

Epilogue… Two years later…

"Well?" 

Dr. Sliver looked up, "It's s boy…"

Goliath took a deep breath, "A son…"

Elisa sat up and kissed him softly on the side of the head, "Angela is really gonna be disappointed…"

Dr. Silver began picking up her equipment, "I do want to see you again before you go back to work tonight Elisa. I still need finish up with little Alice…" She closed her bag and gave the pair a tired smirk, "I can only hope someone managed to get her off of the top of the cabinets."

Elisa smiled lightly at the thoughts of her niece, climbing all over the labyrinth in a vain attempt to avoid the check-up, "Try not to get zapped again." She called out as Dr. Silver pulled the door shut behind her.

Apparently wings weren't the only things her niece had inherited from her parents. 

"The terrible twos are going to be hell on them…" Elisa muttered once they were alone.

Goliath reached over and helped her off the examination table and took a deep breath before saying anything to her, "You are still worried…" 

It wasn't a question and she took her time before answering, "A bit…"

"This is different…"

"You really think so?"

Goliath pushed aside the question, "He will be beautiful… just like his mother…"

"No, he will be strong and handsome just like his daddy…" the words brought up a flash of a memory as Elisa tried to push back the tears which threatened to spill over, "I still miss him…"

"As do I my love… as do I…"

Elisa moved around the room slowly, "I never thought we'd get a second chance…"

Goliath walked up behind her, pulling her to him, "Elisa, do not look at this as a second chance… but as a gift… a gift born of love."

She was silent, taking comfort from Goliath's embrace, "Chance…" Goliath gave her a puzzled look, "What do you think of the name Chance…?" she asked quietly.

Goliath smiled, "I think it is a fine name…" He lifted her head so that he could look into her eyes, "But I want to pick his… middle name…"


	5. Dreams of Reality

****

Dreams of Reality

By Shadow Runner

Shadow_runner4u@hotmail.com

Holy cow, I finally have an update to my stuff… while I'd like to attribute the delay to an alien abduction, that just ain't the case… let's just chalk it up to a case of the dead ass… Oh, yeah… because that sounds sooo much better…

Either way, in my delayed absence, I still don't have any type of ownership for the gargs or anything remotely related to them… I like everyone else my doing my part to keep the dream alive… which means I'm still not making any money off this. I wish I was,,, but I'm not… so we'll just leave it at that… 

This is my follow-up to Keeping the Faith… 

Hope you like and happy reading J 

***** ***** *****

They stood alone, locked in each other's arms on the balcony of Elisa Maza's apartment. 

A light breeze lifted Goliath's hair and draped a loose strand over his eyes. Elisa laughed happily as the lavender gargoyle shook his head vainly in an attempt remove it. The persistent strand refused to budge, so she reached over and brushed it away from his face. Once the stubborn lock was back in it's rightful place, she paused and allowed her hand to rest against Goliath's cheek, "I had a amazing time tonight Big Guy…"

"As did I." He replied softly.

Elisa felt him sigh deeply and knew what was coming next. He was going to have to leave soon. She felt her smile fade, only to be replaced with a look of disappointment, and laid her head against his chest. "I hate this…" she voiced softly. 

Goliath nodded in silent agreement and lowered his head until his lips were resting on her head. "As do I, My Love…" he whispered, "As do I…"

It was unusually warm for November as they continued to look out over the city. Two nights ago they learned they were going to have a son. Nearly two years ago, they'd gone through this exact same situation. Elisa mentally promised herself this time would be different. While Goliath said nothing to shake her resolve, she knew he too had his concerns.

The pregnancy was once again a unique condition and both of them felt the need to capitalize on the situation. In a spur of the moment celebration, Elisa had taken the night off and Goliath told the rest of the clan he needed a much deserved break from patrolling the city.

They had spent a magical evening together listening to music on Elisa's compact disc player. Even after three years of being together, Goliath was still fascinated that music could be trapped inside a circle of silver steel which, at the touch of a button, could be inserted into a machine and released for their pleasure. He tightened his grip on his beloved and she looked up at him, the smile returning to her lips. His eyes were dark and thoughtful, "What are you thinking about?" she murmured pensively. 

"Of him…" he replied softly, resting his large talons over her still flat stomach. Almost as an after thought, he added, "and of this…" 

He took Elisa hands into his, kissing the tips of her fingers gently. Elisa felt tears well up in her eyes for the second time that night and she hastily tried to wipe them from her eyes. Goliath smiled and held her left hand up in the night, allowing the moonlight to reflect off the ring she now wore on her finger.

When she asked Goliath where it came from, he quickly sidestepped the question and tried to change the subject. It was a delicately woven Celtic band made of silver and Elisa thought it was the most beautiful piece of jewelry she'd ever seen in her life; simple yet elegant. Several years earlier Goliath had asked her to be his mate and she accepted but with everything that had happened since, they never told anyone of their arrangement, nor had they done anything to make it official. 

However, Elisa had her suspicions as to the ring's origin and in the end, her persistence not only paid off but also proved to be correct. 

Although there was no way they could 'officially' be married, several weeks earlier Matt Bluestone let it slip that Goliath had spoken to him about the situation in hopes that he might be able to recommend a suitable alternative. Matt suggested asking Hudson, as the senior member of the Clan, to officiate a ceremony specifically designed to join together two people who wished to share each other's lives. 

Elisa smiled since she knew exactly why her partner made that particular recommendation. Last year, her brother had done something very similar and Elisa considered it the most beautiful union ceremony she had ever seen. Granted it wasn't the most traditional ceremony, but tradition was not really the point. Claw had acted as best man and Delilah had stood with Maggie as the Maid of Honor. In the end, Elisa, along with everyone else who attended the ceremony, were in tears as Derek "Talon" Maza and Maggie Reed were pronounced "united in love and bound by their hearts for all eternity."

Goliath took in a deep breath and gazed at his love, "I am so very grateful for you, Elisa. I see the love in your eyes and I know that what we share is truly unique… To know that after all we have been through, we are still a part of each other… I sometimes have trouble believing it." 

"You had better believe it, Big Guy." Elisa regarded him intently, "I've never known anyone who deserved to be loved more than you..." She paused and looked back down at her ring again, "When do you want to tell the others?"

"Tomorrow evening." Goliath pulled her closer, wrapping his wings over them in a protective cloak. "Come by the Castle and we will tell everyone before evening patrols begin…"

Goliath paused and felt the familiar, instinctive, feeling building inside him and knew it was time for him to go. Abruptly, he bent his head and kissed Elisa, lightly, tenderly at first and then increasing the pressure as her look of surprise changed to one of ecstasy. Then, just as swiftly he broke away, and vaulted over the balcony spreading his wings to catch the night currents. 

"Goliath!" Elisa called out to him the night.

But he was gone, leaving her breathless and shaking.

"Jalapena…" she murmured softly, "Where the hell did that come from?"

***** ***** *****

When Elisa awoke the next afternoon, she felt as if Goliath's kiss was still on her lips, and she hugged her pillow tightly, noting it was a poor substitute for her beloved. She rolled over and nudged the sleeping form of Cagney, her lone bed companion, with her foot. The cat mewed softly and stretched before walking over to plant himself in the middle of her chest. 

She scratched the cat's ears until his soft purring lulled her back to near sleep, but a few minutes later she woke again. She considered going back to sleep but a quick glance at the near by clock told her otherwise. With a sigh of resignation, she lifted the cat off her and got up to go make some coffee. 

Elisa paused as she entered the living room and caught the view of the New York City skyline. It was a breath taking mixture of blues, reds, and oranges. Shifting her direction she walked closer to the balcony door and watched in awe as the colors shifted and changed before her. 

It was almost as if the colors were alive and she continued to watch the shades fluctuate as if in a hypnotic state. 

She was abruptly pulled from her trance and glanced out the window again realizing she was wasting time. The sun had already set and she wanted to spend a little time alone with Goliath before they announced their plans to the rest of the Clan. Hurriedly, she decided against the coffee and walked back into the bedroom to get ready.

Forty-five minutes later she slipped into her red bomber jacket and walked out the door.

***** ***** *****

The cross town traffic was unusually heavy and for a split second, Elisa berated herself for not getting to the Eyrie Building sooner. The thought was fleeting as she absently rubbed her hand over her still flat belly reminding herself there was nothing more important than making time for the small pleasures in life. She parked in the lower garage of the Eyrie Building, refusing to use the spot assigned to her. 

She quickly walked through the parking garage and over to the main entrance of the building. Pulling open the door, she moved to the reception desk and flashed her entry badge. The security guard looked up and made as if to waive her by, but Elisa insisted he verify her authority to enter. The last thing she wanted was for the staff for Xanatos Enterprises to get too comfortable with her being in the building.

Despite David Xanatos' apparent hospitality, she still didn't trust the man. Over the years, the Clan had stuck an uneasy truce with the Xanatos family, but a certain degree of mistrust still remained between Elisa Maza and David Xanatos. Goliath once suggested the two of them continued their verbal baiting not because they needed to, rather because neither knew how to relate to the other without it. Either way, it was not a subject Elisa cared to discuss and therefor it was considered off limits. 

Once the formalities were complete, Elisa walked over to the elevator and inserted her key for the private car. A few minutes later it arrived and she stepped inside and waited for the car to begin its assent. 

Sometimes when the doors opened, Goliath would be waiting for her, but tonight there was no sign of him. Unconcerned, she made her way through the Great Hall and towards the stairs that led to the upper levels of the castle. Castle Wyvern was unusually quite and she saw no one until Owen Burnett suddenly appeared as if from no where.

"Ah, Detective Maza you're here already..." he began. Elisa noted that it seemed the man was looking past her in a somewhat distracted manner. "It's, er good to see you."

"Ah, yeah… hi…" Elisa paused, clearly not used to this type of greeting from the right hand man of David Xanatos, "Is everything okay?" she asked politely.

"I believe so." Owen seemed strangely nervous, "Mr. Xanatos would like to speak with you in his office immediately."

Considering the few times Xanatos wanted to meet with her, Elisa senses immediately went on the defensive as she cut him off while moving towards a near by stairwell, "Is everything alright? Where's Goliath and the others?"

"I assure Goliath's Clan is fine." Owen reached over and grabbed her by the arm preventing her from going any farther. "But it's imperative Mr. Xanatos speaks with you right now."

"No…" Elisa jerked her arm back and continued towards the stairs leading to the upper battle mounts where Goliath and the others slept during the day, "I want to make sure everyone is okay first…"

"The gargoyles are inside the castle for the time being, and I assure you they are just fine." Owen's next response took Elisa completely off guard, "In fact Goliath is with Mr. Xanatos right now…"

"He is?" Elisa replied slowly. She gave Own a scowl, indicating they could have avoided the little tug of war contest if he had simply told her that in the first place. "Fine, then take me to him."

The blond headed man was curiously quiet as they navigated the quiet halls of the castle. Even more strange, each time they came to an intersection Owen looked anxiously each way, as if he had no idea what might jump out at them at each turn. 

"Are you sure everything is all right?" Elisa asked as they reached Xanaots' office. 

Owen said nothing until he opened the door and walked into the dimly light room, "Detective Maza has arrived Sir." He announced formally. "Would you like me to stay?" 

"That wont be necessary." Xanatos spun around in his chair and looked round quickly, an expression of suppressed excitement on his face, "Thank you Owen." 

The blond man took this statement to mean he was excused and bowed slightly as he walked away. Elisa deliberately walked closer to Xanatos and rested her palms on the top of his desk, "What the hell is going on here Xanatos?" she demanded. "I've never seen Owen behave so strangely and you seem kind of nervous yourself. What's going on?"

"Good evening Detective. It's good to see you too…" Xanatos rubbed his chin thoughtfully, noting the NYPD detective was now making it point to smear finger and palm prints over the meticulously polished wood of his desk. He smiled slightly and motioned for Elisa to sit down. When she failed to move he indicated the chair again, "Please, this whole thing will go faster if you just sit…"

Elisa finally conceded and took a chair at the opposite side of Xanatos' desk. She inclined her head slightly, "OK, I'm sitting. What the hell is going on here?"

"Something has happened to Goliath." He started.

"What?!" A stab of fear jabbed Elisa's heart as she leaped out of her chair, "Where is he?"

"I'm sorry Detective… I didn't mean to worry you," The billionaire business man held up a pausing hand, "Goliath is fine."

"Then what?" Elisa demanded, "Xanatos, you have about one second to produce not only Goliath but the rest of the Clan or I'm seriously going to consider shooting you right now…" 

"Detective, please sit back down. I have something to tell you. Something I don't quite know how to explain, but I feel you should be aware of the situation before you see Goliath."

"What situation?" Elisa questioned as she sat down while pulling her chair closer, "What's happened to…"

"I think I should be the one to tell her..." 

The voice, which came from the doorway, sounded a lot like Goliath's, but there was something different about it. Elisa whirled around in her chair and what she saw stopped the flow of blood in her veins and nearly froze her heart.

The man who stepped out of the shadows was very tall, with long, jet-black hair. The span of his shoulders and depth of his chest was recognizable, as was his aura. He was a very attractive man, who appeared to be in his middle thirties and while he had the face of a stranger, he was very familiar.

But this was impossible.

Then she looked deep into the man's eyes. Only one other being on Earth had those piercing black eyes. 

"Hello Elisa," he said softly.

Elisa's heart thudded against her ribs so powerfully she thought she might faint. It couldn't be. "G-Goliath?" she faltered. "This can't be…"

The 'stranger' smiled; a wide, confident smile from perfectly formed lips and surrounded by flawless skin. "Yes Elisa. It is me, I assure you." He held out his hand; a smooth, beautifully shaped masculine hand with manicured nails. He turned to Xanatos. "I wish to speak with Elisa alone." 

"Of course, be my guest." Xanatos nodded, a speculative smile on his own lips. "I'm sure the two of you have much to talk about. I'll see both of you later." 

When he made no indication that he planned to leave his own office, Goliath gave him an irritated expression and took Elisa's hand and led her out of the room. 

Elisa noticed the strange expression on Xanatos' face as the pair left the office. She was used to smug expressions, but this was something more.

If she hadn't known better she would have thought it was concern. 

***** ***** *****

Neither of them spoke as they walked. Elisa found herself unable to take her eyes from the man who walked beside her through the hallways of Castle Wyvern. She had no idea where they were going, but apparently Goliath did. When they reached their destination, he opened the door and led Elisa in. The room was nearly barren save for two chairs in the middle of the room. He pulled one chair back and allowed Elisa to sit before taking his place in the other chair.

"Gol…" Elisa started but found herself unable to form his name. After a moments pause she simply asked, "What happened to you?"

"I do not know. I only know that when I awoke from the Stone Sleep I was human." He replied slowly, "This transformation has been quite a shock for all of us."

"That's an understatement," Elisa agreed. She suddenly gasped, unable to contain her shock any longer, The others… were they…?"

"No…" The man shook his head, "Only I was affected…" 

Elisa could only nod dumbly, "I'm not sure when to begin…"

Goliath cut her off, "I realize you must have a great many questions but I'm afraid I am unable to answer any of them. I have no idea how or why this has happened to me. Xanatos has assured me Alexander and Puck had nothing to do with this…" He waived his hands over his face and body, "change…" 

"What about Demona?" Elisa volunteered, "We've been through this kind of thing before with her…"

"No, I cannot believe even she would do something like this…" Goliath sighed, "I will not question it... but I will accept it gratefully, and I pray the transformation is permanent." He reached out a hand and touched her cheek with his fingers. "Say something, my love. Please speak to me."

Elisa opened her mouth to speak but no words would come. Realizing how amazingly stupid she must appear, she took a breath. It felt like it might have been the first she had taken since she first saw him, "I… I don't know what to say to you Gol..." she stuttered, her voice trailing off into a whisper as she tried to speak his name. 

Goliath laughed softly and Elisa shut her eyes for a moment to listen. It sounded wrong.

This was all wrong. 

Goliath took her hand and when she forced herself to look at him again, she saw the hope in his eyes.

"Do you realize what this means, Elisa? My whole life begins again today. Our life begins together openly, in the daylight." He squeezed her cold hands and touched them to his lips. "I can live in your world with you, Elisa. I can now enter your world as an equal and go everywhere you do. More importantly, I can truly love you without fear that the day will be stolen from us..."

"My love," he continued, "for the first time I have the right to ask you... if you will become my wife."

Elisa wondered if she could possibly be having a heart attack. What she felt was not exactly pain, but the pounding and churning inside her reflected the feeling of panic, terror even, she was feeling. 

This man, and she had been thinking of him only as a man and not Goliath, who sat beside her, was asking her to marry him. Her head was spinning and she wanted to run, but he was waiting for her answer. It suddenly occurred to her no matter what form he was in, he at least deserved her undivided attention.

"I… I… no… I mean… I can't." She stammered, "This isn't right..." 

He looked puzzled, "What do you mean, Elisa? How can it not be right? It is the most wonderful thing we could have wished for. Are you not as thrilled and excited as I am?"

"Wh… what did Hudson and the others have to say about this?"

"They are happy for us. How could they be otherwise?"

A spark suddenly went off in Elisa's mind, "What about Angela?" 

The man looked puzzled, "What about her? Of course she is afraid of losing me but I have told her there is nothing to fear. She is still my daughter in every way that matters."

"What about your son?" Elisa challenged, "What will he think…?"

The man smiled, "Why would he think I would love him less either? Together, we will overcome the fears of humanity… and yours as well, Elisa."

Her response was automatic, "No!" 

"No?" His velvet voice was gentle as he lowered his eyes, "I apologize... It is too soon. The shock you feel at this change in my appearance is second only to my own, believe me. We will take it one step at a time... We have the rest of our lives ahead of us now."

Elisa's desire to get away could be contained no longer. She knew her reaction was unfair, hurtful and totally unreasonable, but with a degree of certainty unparalleled in her lifetime, she knew she could never love this man. 

He was not Goliath, the love of her life. 

The eyes were unquestionably his, the voice was similar, but everything else was wrong. If another shock to her system was possible, it was the knowledge and realization that looks were such an important factor to her. The tears began to stream down her face as she jumped up and began to back away from him. 

"You're not him... you're not HIM!" As badly as she wanted to, she could not call him by name. Without thinking she pulled the ring from her finger and dropped it into the pal of his hand, "I'm sorry! I'm more sorry than I can ever tell you, but it's no good!"

The bewilderment and shock on his face as he rose to his feet and took a step towards her was all Elisa could see as she stumbled blindly from the room. The sounds the massive generators humming, providing power to the other areas of the castle, reverberate unmercifully in her ears during her flight. 

Even when she reached the street below the Eyrie Building, she continued running as if fleeing from some unknown demon, although she knew the demon was in her mind.

***** ***** *****

She drove to her building without truly knowing how she got there. Making her way up to her apartment, she opened her door and she threw herself on the couch. There she sobbed uncontrollably for what felt like hours. Eventually, exhausted and drained of every emotion other than self-loathing, she dragged herself into the bathroom, ran a full tub of hot water, shed her clothing and lowered herself into the tub. 

As the warmth filtered through her bruised and battered heart, Elisa began to pray for oblivion. How could she feel this way? Shouldn't she be overjoyed at the change in Goliath? As he had said, it meant he could take his place in her world now and enjoy every pleasure previously denied to them. Surely if you loved someone, you wanted the very best for them, and this had to be the best thing that had ever happened to Goliath. Why could she not accept it? Was it possible that, in time, she would get used to the idea?

__

Trust your instincts. Goliath had used those words many times. For months after the death of their first child Malcolm, she had been in such turmoil; torn between her love for Goliath and her newly found need for a home and family. Finally, she had listened to her heart and returned to her beloved.

Her love for Goliath was forever and completely unshakeable… or so she thought.

She tried to tell herself she could get used to him as he was now; that she would grow to love him all over again. God knew she owed him a damn sight more than that. And it was true; they could do everything they had always yearned to do; together. 

But the terrible truth was… she wished it had never happened. 

She wanted Goliath back the way he used to be; the way she had fallen in love with him… and now she hated herself for it.

***** ***** *****

The insistent beeping of her alarm clock reminded Elisa once again just how much she truly despised that particular noise. Something about the alarm frequency was so grating, so irritating, that you just had to wake up, if only to smack the damn thing off. 

Which, of course, was exactly what the manufactures were hoping for. No sense making an alarm clock that didn't wake you up. Talk about defeating the purpose.

Cagney had hopped up onto the bed and parked himself in the middle of her chest. Elisa's eyes abruptly snapped open. How the hell had she woken up in bed when she'd fallen asleep in the bath? Dragging herself up into a sitting position she rubbed a hand over her eyes and noticed the distinct woven pattern of her ring. 

Slowly, the realization dawned on her. 

She had not gone to the castle last night. 

The whole mind-blowing incident had been a dream.

She wanted to shout with joy and pure, unadulterated happiness. Weak with relief she groped her way to the living room phone to call her partner and let him know she was going to be a little late for their shift. Matt was a wonderful partner and a true friend to Elisa and the rest of the Clan, but he would have been less than amused if Elisa didn't show up for work. 

After the call, Elisa made her way to the bathroom and turned on the shower. The warm, invorating water calmed her ragged emotions sufficiently to dress in jeans, black boots, and her bomber jacket. Grabbing her keys, she raced out of the apartment and into the elevator. Within minutes she was in her car, racing across town. 

***** ***** *****

She reached the upper parphet just as Goliath's stone form came to life. Below, she was able to hear the others arguing about a new patrol route Brooklyn had mapped out two nights earlier. Judging by the sounds of their voices, and the fact that it sounded like she walked into the middle of a conversation, Elisa determined they had probably been arguing about the route when dawn came. 

"Evening, Big Guy…" she called in an attempt to be heard over the sound of their voices. 

Goliath turned around in surprise, allowing his wings to lift slightly from his shoulders. The lavender gargoyle looked the same as always and Elisa's heart pounded in her chest. 

Without bothering to shake the remaining fragments of stone skin from his body, Goliath immediately pulled her into his embrace and swept her up in his arms. Holding her tightly, he leaped down to the lower levels of the castle and called out for the others to join him. "All of you, come here… we have much to discuss before…" 

"Hold that thought…" Elisa cut him off suddenly, "Could I talk to you for a few minutes?" 

Goliath nodded and shook his head, sending dust fragments flying and making Elisa cough. He set her gently down on the ground and turned to Brooklyn, "See if you can find a more peaceful way of routing patrols tonight." 

The burgundy gargoyle nodded and grinned at Elisa while he and the others left the court yard area and prepared for the evening patrols. 

Slipping her small hand into Goliath's large one, Elisa pressed close to him as they walked over to the small courtyard near the edge of the castle. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw her arms around his neck, breathing in the scent of him, reveling in the odors that were distinctly _him_. 

Goliath was momentarily taken back but said nothing. He knew his beloved was going through numerous changes associated with her pregnancy but this outburst was out of the ordinary even for her. He simply said nothing and continued to hold her tightly in his arms.

"I am so glad to see you, Big Guy," she whispered softly. "I don't know how to begin to tell you about the nightmare I had!" 

Goliath pulled back and looked down at her with dark and smoldering eyes that seemed to penetrate her very soul, "I feel your fear… but if it was only a dream…?" He pulled his brow in concentration, "What is it that troubles you my love?" 

"It's nothing…" She clung to his arms, not willing to relinquish her hold on him even for a moment, "I guess I just had to reassure myself that you were still…"

When she stopped speaking, Goliath gave her a playful nudge, "Still what?"

"That you were still… you know…" Elisa sighed, "you." 

"Elisa…" Goliath questioned, "I'm not sure I understand… Who else would I be?" 

"I my dream… I… hurt you… " She turned her head slightly and looked out over the city skyline, "Tonight I raced over her like a bat of out hell just to make sure everything was the same as always. Now I know it is… and well… I guess now I'm feeling pretty stupid." 

"Elisa…" Goliath favored her with a loving smile, "tell me what troubles you…" 

"It's that stupid dream." She averted her eyes quickly, "I wish I hadn't mentioned it at all."

"Tell me," He pressed.

"I'm afraid."

"Of me?"

"No," Elisa sighed, "Of the possibility you'll stop loving me when you find out what a selfish, small-minded human l I really am." Goliath was clearly caught off guard by her comments so she released her grip on him and stepped back, "I found out something about myself last night Goliath, and it wasn't very pretty."

Goliath capped his wings over his shoulders and took a cautious step forward. He lifted her head until their eyes met, "The tell me, Elisa." 

She dropped her head and took a very deep breath, which she expelled slowly as she spoke, "I dreamed I came to you last night and you'd changed."

"In what way?"

"This is kind of embarrassing for me to say…" She twisted a strand of his hair nervously between her fingers. "You… you had become like... you looked very different... you looked like you did when Puck changed everyone…" 

She dared to look at him then and was surprised to see a faint smile playing around the edges of his mouth, "I see…" he began, "And am I to understand that you were not happy with what you saw?"

"No, I wasn't! I couldn't accept it was you, Goliath. To me, that man was a stranger. Except in my heart I knew it was true, and I should have been happy for you because you were so happy."

"So what did you do?"

"I ran away." Elisa tossed her arms up in exasperation, "I ran away from you because I couldn't stand to see the hurt on your face when you realized I didn't love you that way." Her voice broke as she recalled the dream that had seemed so real. She dropped her eyes in shame, "When you love someone you should want the best for them, Goliath."

For a long moment Goliath didn't speak. Then he tipped her face a little so her eyes looked directly into his, "Then all you have proved is that you are not perfect."

"Thanks…" Elisa pulled her brow in irritation, "I've always believed that looks are unimportant… that they have nothing to do with a someone's personality or character."

"Then I believe we can say you have held true to that belief." Again Goliath looked faintly amused as he chuckled softly, "How otherwise could you love me?"

Elisa felt her irritation flare as she placed her hands on her hips, "You're missing the point Goliath…"

"No," Goliath corrected, "Three years ago when the Puck changed you into a gargoyle, do you not remember what I said to you?"

Elisa shook her head slowly, "You told me that you never realized how beautiful I was until then…" 

Goliath nodded, "My reaction might not have been different had we never experienced that night. Trust me, Elisa… you have not betrayed me because of what you saw in your dreams." He lifted her hands and held one to his cheek and the other against his chest, "This is real, Elisa... I am real. What you see now is what I will always be. Our love is the reality." 

"I think you're just trying to make me feel better." 

"Is it working?" Goliath countered.

Elisa attempted a smile, "Just so long as you know that I love you, just as you are, with all my heart... and I will continue to love you... forever."

"And you have no regrets?" Goliath asked the question despite the fact that he knew the answer without ever hearing the words. 

"No. Never." Elisa replied firmly. She dropped the self-imposed barrier she had established earlier in the evening and let the need grow and swell like a balloon within her. She heard Goliath inhale sharply as her emotions coursed outward towards him and felt his tremors as he tightened the embrace. She lifted her head and smiled. Goliath's eyes were twin black flames; she could not recall them ever being so dark and deep. 

Goliath didn't have to say a word. Elisa only had to look into those eyes as he held her to his heart, to remind herself that their love knew no boundaries. This time, as their lips touched she had no fear that he would turn into a handsome prince. 

In her eyes and heart he always had been.

***** ***** *****

The woman slowly turned way from the scene before her. She had not expected this turn of evens but in reflection, she understood she should have. The connection between the human woman and the gargoyle was far stronger than she expected. 

Perhaps that would be enough.

She glanced back briefly, understanding the power of fates and destinies were moving far faster than she herself could. For a moment she considering intervening, but as an after thought, decided against it. There would be plenty of time for that later. She stiffened slightly as she felt the presence of another enter the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Greetings to you." The woman's expression shifted to one of genuine surprise, "I did not know you had returned…" 

"I expected to see you upon my return." The man nodded slight, noting she failed to answer his question, What has kept you from me?" he inquired none too gently.

She brushed him off with a smile, "It is nothing of your concern…" She favored him with a loving expression as she reached over to pull the vale over the mirror, "I am simply taking care of some unfinished business..."

"I see that…" Lord Oberon nodded without really committing to the gesture, "Come to me Wife. We have much to discuss…"

"As you wish, My Lord and Husband." Lady Titaina nodded as she cast a last glance over the covered mirror, "And yes… we do have much to discuss…" 

***** ***** *****


End file.
